


Are you my muse?

by Blitz24



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Characters age up after graduation, Romance, Soulmates, Third Year High School, Volleyball
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-11
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:28:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 40,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27506848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blitz24/pseuds/Blitz24
Summary: If grass can grow through cement, love can find you later on in life or in a different universe.
Relationships: Kuroo Tetsurou/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There is a brief mention towards the end of the chapter of drinking and use of drugs. I should also clarify right now the characters are 17 at the moment.

Chapter 1:

Llyn, Karcadia.

Resting a cheek on your palm, you stare out the classroom window at the clouds that float across the bright blue sky, a soft breeze making the curtains ruffle softly from the open window. Idle chatter in the background as your classmates talk amongst themselves about the upcoming concert in town, a local band made up of some people from your school. Feeling a tap on your shoulder, you sit up then turn to face the person who pulled you from your wandering thoughts. “What’s up Tyler?” You ask the male as he sets his hands on the desk then leans forward a bit to look out the window.

“What’s got your attention outside today?” He asks then straightens up when he sees nothing. Raising an eyebrow at him, you just shrug then turn your attention back to the notebook on your desk to look through the notes. “You're still up for going to the concert this weekend, Tiff said she’d drive us there and we got a place to stay if we decide to drink.” Glancing at him out of the corner of your eye, you give another shrug then start to write something down.

“Maybe, all depends on what mom says. If I need to watch my brother I can’t go.” Frowning slightly you glare down at the paper as your thoughts start to drift to the break-up four years ago. You’re parents split up when you were 13, dad left and no one has seen him since. It left a giant hole in your chest that the man you looked up to since you were born would just up and leave. Multiple times you asked your mother for answers on what happened but all she said was that he didn’t want to be here anymore; those words also struck a knife through your heart, but over time you got over it. If he didn’t want to be in your life, then so be it. You’d grow up and become something that will show the bastard you are better off without him anyways.

“I see. Why not just ask if he can go to a friend or something? You don’t really hang out with us that much anymore.” He sits down on a chair in front of you, arms folded on the back as he rests his chin on his arms. Lifting my gaze to look at Tyler, I just sigh. 

“You know I don’t care much for this particular band, right?” You glare softly at the male in front of you who just averts his gaze to the side. 

“I know… I just think maybe it's time to move on. Maybe go to show her you don’t care anymore.” One hand curls into a fist, nearly breaking the pencil in your hand at the memories of two years ago during a graduation party. 

_You were standing outside dressed in a nice black button up, matching pair of pants and shoes with a silver blazer on, a girl with long black hair was hugging your arm tightly as the two of you talked with some friends. The girl was smiling up at you then gave a small tug on your arm to pull you away. The party was fun but you knew she wanted to go home so the two of you could have some of your own fun before she had to leave for the city in a few days. When the two of you find a secluded place she pulls away then clasps her hands behind her back as she takes a few steps away from you._

_“Sam, I think we should break up.” Those six words had shattered your heart as soon as they left the girls lips. With her back still turned to you, she takes your silence as an agreement then walks away disappearing back to the party. Staring at the spot where the girl was you feel that familiar tightening in your chest when you learned your father had left you. Clenching a hand over your chest, you leave the party without telling anyone._

The sound of someone snapping pulls you from your thoughts, blinking a few times to focus you look up at Tyler who is wearing a concerned expression. “Sam?”

“S..Sorry, just remembered something.” Shoving the notebook in your bag, you get up then leave the class in a hurry. Since it was lunch you went to put the bag away in your locker then grabbed your lunchbox before walking outside. Normally you weren’t allowed outside until the second bell, but you didn’t want to be around people so you went to find a place to hide so you could eat till the others finally came out. Putting your headphones on you eat your lunch as the music blares through the headphones. As much as you hated to admit it, you loved listening to the songs written by your ex’s band. Gritting your teeth, you change the song to something else as memories start to flood your mind. 

A shadow fell over you after a few minutes which made you open your eyes that you didn’t know had closed. Looking up, Tyler was standing there with Tiff and Jen behind him. “You snuck out again, huh.” He says as he helps you to your feet. Brushing off some dirt you look past him to see if any of the teachers noticed but they didn’t, which you release the breath you were holding.

“Sorry, I just needed some time to myself.” Grabbing the lunchbox you follow your friends towards the soccer field. Setting the box down by the net you run to the group as they sort out teams for today. As usual you end up in the net since you were quick to be able to stop the ball. Turning your hat backwards, you had your hands up as the ball came at you only to blink as it suddenly was gone as was your hat. Looking over your shoulder you see the ball land on the ground behind the net, your hat at your feet; then laughter behind you makes you turn around, everyone was laughing at what happened and soon you joined them. As the final bell rang everyone starts to head back to class. A sudden weight on your back makes you stumble as you grab onto the person. 

“Geez, Cory. Some warning before you tackle me.” Laughing your cousin just ruffles your hair then hops off your back. 

“That was a nice hat trick back there.” He smirks, you laugh and shove his shoulder. 

“What can I say, I’m always using my head for something.” Fixing the hat back on your head you follow him into the school then take the hat off as per the rules. Once you put everything in your locker then grab the books for your final two classes, you sigh then look down at your phone to see if you missed anything. ‘Nope, nothing.’ Nodding you put that away then quickly head to your economics class. 

After school you get out of Tiff’s car as she drives you home, throwing a wave over your shoulder you watch her back out of the driveway then turn to head inside. Slipping off your shoes, you go towards the fridge for a bottle of water. “I’m home! The silence that follows makes you frown until you see the note on the table:

‘Gone out to get some groceries. There’s a snack in the microwave for you. I should be home by 5.  
-Mom

Also can you change the garbage and do up the dishes for me. Thanks!’

Laughing softly you set your backpack down on a chair then pull up spotify on your phone to play some music as you start doing the chores asked of you. 

=========  
In a different universe, Tokyo, Japan.

The sound of running feet and squeaking shoes fills the room as practice drags on again. “Oi, Kuro!” A grey haired male yells to the black haired male. “Want to block some spikes for me?”

Kuro looks up from where he was doing some sit ups then stands to go over to the net. “Sure. I’ll block all your shots.” His cheshire like smirk spreads across his face causing the other boy to laugh.

“Let’s do this!” He yells, fists pumping into the air before running to the net. Shaking his head Kuro goes to the other side, watching his friend he jumps at the right time to block the spike. “Oi!” Kuro laughs at this. 

“Told you I’d block them, Bokuto.” Reaching through the net he flicks his friend's head. 

“Again!” Bokuto yells. This goes on for an hour until both boys were exhausted. A whistle makes them stop, Bokuto tripping over his feet as he was running for another spike and ends up face planting onto the floor. A boy with short black hair and a neutral expression on his face rolls his eyes then goes to help Bokuto up. “Thanks Akaashi.”

“No problem. Practice is over and supper should be ready soon.” Akaashi says then walks off. Bokuto sighs then goes to grab a towel and hangs it around his shoulders. Kuro was cleaning up the volleyballs left around as the others left; he wasn’t hungry yet, so he decided to stay behind and clean. 

As he puts the last ball into the bin he stops short hearing someone singing; turning around he looks around but sees no one. He looks in the backroom after putting the bin away then walks outside, seeing everyone chattering as they eat he doesn’t see anyone singing. 

“ _If they say  
Who cares if one more light goes out?  
In a sky of a million stars  
It flickers, flickers  
Who cares when someone's time runs out?  
If a moment is all we are  
We're quicker, quicker  
Who cares if one more light goes out?_” 

He frowns as he continues to look around then stiffens as the voice picks up again, this time he could hear a small crack in the voice as if the person is crying. Hurrying his steps he walks around the entire building trying to find the voice but when he returns to the large group, he runs fingers through his hair and thinks. ‘The hell was that?’ Bokuto notices him then jumps onto his back causing the male to stumble.

“Yo, about time you joined us.” The grey haired boy ruffles Kuro’s hair, who swats him away with a distant look in his eyes. Bokuto seeing this stops then frowns, “What’s wrong?”

“Did you hear someone singing just now?” Kuro asks as he looks to his friend, who shakes his head then clasps hands behind his head. 

“No. Though I wasn’t paying much attention since I was eating.” Kuro snorts at this response then flicks the other boy's forehead. 

“Pay attention to your surroundings. One day you’ll be so occupied you walk into traffic.” Bokuto rubs his forehead then frowns with a huff. 

“I ain’t that scatter brained.”

“Yeah, sure. Keep telling yourself that you horned owl.” Kuro jumps out of the way as Bokuto lunges at him then runs as the other starts cursing at him. Laughing Kuro hides behind Kenma who seems to be completely stiff with wide, scared eyes. After supper the rest of the evening was quiet as most of the others had fallen asleep or were talking in small groups. Kuro stares up at the ceiling trying to figure out why he had heard someone singing when no one around him was; as he thinks sleep starts to tug at the edge of his consciousness he suddenly sits up as a thought crosses his mind. The movement wakes Bokuto and Kenma who were on futons on either side of him since they had to share a room during camp. 

“Kuro?” Kenma’s flat toned voice sleepily asks as he pokes his head from under the blanket.

“Huh, oh, sorry for waking you.” Keeping his voice low, Kuro carefully gets to his feet then leaves the room. Leaning against the wall across the hallway from the room, he takes out his phone to look something up. As he does, he sinks down till he was sitting on the floor. After reading through several articles, he sets the phone down then runs fingers through his hair. ‘Soulmate… what the hell…’ A shadow falls over him pulling the raven haired boy out of his thoughts; looking up he sees Bokuto standing there.

“What’s wrong?” The other boy moves to sit down beside him as Kuro stares at the phone opened to a recent article about the soulmate phenomenon. Bokuto follows his gaze to the phone then picks it up to read said article. “You think you’ve found your soulmate?” Kuro sighs then leans his head back against the wall and stares straight ahead.

“Remember how earlier I asked if you heard anyone singing? Apparently I heard them. That’s why no one else did.”

“Hmm, well I think it’s awesome that you finally found your soulmate. It’s a rare thing according to this article,” Bokuto waves the phone a little then smiles softly and stares down at it, “And I hope that you two get to meet someday.” Kuro looks at his friend then laughs softly before closing his eyes and leans his head back again.

“Yeah, me too.” After a few silent moments then two boys head back to bed for their final day of training camp.

=======

Back in Llyn.

You wake up from a nap, hand blindly reaching out to grab your phone from the bedside table to see if there are any messages. Seeing one from Tiff, you reply back then get up to wander upstairs from the basement when you hear the front door open.

“I’m home!” Your mom calls as you come upstairs. Smiling at her, you slip on some slippers then go out to the car to help her take in the groceries. “How was school today?” she asks as the two of you put them away, your brother runs off to his room to play with his new action figures.

“It was okay. I have two tests coming up next week, so I’ll probably end up studying most of the weekend.” You sigh when your phone goes off, pulling it from your pocket to see that Tiff responded but you don’t and put it back into your pocket.

“Not going to go to the concert this weekend?” Your mother’s question makes you stiffen up as you glance over at her. “I ran into Tyler at the corner store. He asked me if you’d be able to. I don’t see why not, Sam.” she sighs, arms folding over her chest as she looks at you. The smaller woman stares you in the eye, the stare making you uncomfortable before tearing your gaze from her. 

“You know why I don’t want to go…” Rubbing your arm over the sleeve of your white sweater, you crouch down to put more of the groceries away in the fridge. 

“It’s been two years. It’s time to move on.” Is all your mother says before leaving the kitchen to go change and check on your brother. Staring down at the milk, lost in thought you know that she’s right. They all are, but it doesn’t make the pain hurt any less. You loved Sarah with all your heart; she was your first girlfriend, your first love, and losing what you two had in such a way left an even bigger hole in your heart. Once the groceries are put away you go downstairs only to stop when there’s a tug on your sleeve.

“Sis, come play?” Looking at your brother, he holds up one of his action figures with a big, hopeful smile on his face. Seeing the innocence in his smile and eyes, you sigh then ruffle his hair before following him to his room. As the sky starts to darken your brother crawls onto your lap, since the boy was only six he fit there perfectly. Leaning back against his bed as you sit on the floor, petting his hair softly and begin to sing a lullaby that you know by heart from your grandmother. 

“Little child, be not afraid  
The rain pounds harsh against the glass  
Like an unwanted stranger  
There is no danger  
I am here tonight.”

As you sing, your brother cuddles into you more and soon falls asleep. Smiling softly at the small boy, you kiss the top of his head before carefully moving him into his bed then tuck him in. Putting on his nightlight you then slip out and close the door quietly behind you. Running fingers through your hair, you frown a bit. “Need to go see Auntie for a haircut soon.” Walking back towards the kitchen you see mom in the living room watching one of her shows. She has a peaceful look on her face as she does; though you could see the faint shake of her shoulders telling you that she is crying, that’s when you notice the picture in her hands. It was a picture of you, your dad and brother when he was still only an infant. Clenching hands into fists, you quickly and quietly go downstairs to your room. 

Turning on the computer, you find a site to watch some anime then change into a pair of black sweatpants, as you take off your shirt you look down at the binder then sigh with relief as it comes off. Rubbing the small indents from it, you frown. ‘Great, I wore this too long. Looks like I won’t be able to tomorrow.’ Putting it into the laundry with your other clothes you then tug on a loose fitting t-shirt that has a giant grenade on the front. Crossing the hallway you put the laundry on then head back into your room. Since it was the weekend, means you didn’t have to sleep yet. Though as you scrolled through your phone, some random anime playing in the background you soon find yourself drifting off to sleep.

=============

Tokyo.

“Oi, Kuro!” Kenma yells at his friend who nearly ran into a wall as he was lost in thought. The aforementioned boy looks to his friend, who is frowning more than usual, “Are you okay?”

“Yeah. Why?” Kuro says as he stretches his arms then clasps hands behind his head, the two of them are heading to the bus as the training camp is finally finished. 

“You’ve been spacing out for a while now. Are you getting sick?” Kuro shakes his head at the question, eyes cast towards the sky as soft white clouds float slowly by.

“No, just thinking a lot is all. The spring tournament is in a few months. So that’s been on my mind.” 

The day after training camp, Kuro finds himself laying in bed as he stares up at the ceiling. There was this weight in his chest like something was squeezing his heart, he didn’t hear you singing since the day before and that made him worry. Taking a breath, he feels himself relax slowly before starting to hum a tune under his breath. 

“At night when the stars  
Light up my room  
I sit by myself  
Talking to the moon  
Tryna get to you  
In hopes you're on  
The other side  
Talking to me too  
Or am I a fool  
Who sits alone  
Talking to the moon” 

As he starts to sing, his hand clenches against his chest feeling the tightening there loosen up a bit; a wave of happiness washing over him.

====

You groan softly as you open the door to find Tyler, Tiff, Jen and Cory standing there, “Guys, what are you doing here?” Rubbing the sleep out of your eyes since you were napping, you give them a glare. Tyler just laughs then pats you on the head. 

“We came to get you so we can all go to the concert!” Frowning at the male, you sigh then turn back into the house giving them a wave to follow you. They each greet your mom and brother before following you down into the basement. They settle themselves in the main room which had two couches, a chair, coffee table, decent sized tv with a few gaming consoles and games laying around. You slip into your room then pull off the tank top you were wearing before putting on a clean binder then a black t-shirt that had a wolf peeking its head out of the pocket. Grabbing a nice pair of black jeans you pull those on then grab your grey hoodie and a black baseball cap. Putting the hat on you join your friends.

“Alright, let’s go.” They all get up then you all head out. Stopping beside your mom, you lean down to place a kiss on her cheek as she smiles up at you. Moving to your brother you give him a hug and kiss his forehead, “Be good for mom. I’ll be back later tonight. You better sleep or else I won’t take you for ice cream tomorrow.” He pouts at this but nods his head. Smiling softly at him, you then stand to head to the door. “I’ll be back late no doubt. So don’t wait up and I’ll be safe. I promise. Love you mom.” She waves to you as you get into the backseat of Tiff’s car before driving off. Looking out the window, you rest your chin on the palm of your hand. 

“So, excited for this?” Cory asks as he nudges me with his elbow. Glancing at the glasses wearing boy you just shrug. “Oh come on, cousin. You gotta be at least a little excited!” His arm wraps around your shoulders to pull you into his side. 

“Oh yes, so excited to see how successful my fucking ex is. I’m ecstatic!” You say, voice laced with sarcasm as you glare at your cousin. Each of them look at you, Cory just sighs then looks down. Feeling the mood drop, you sigh then take off your hat before running fingers through your short blood red hair. “I… I’m sorry.” Stretching your hand between the two front seats, you grab the AUX cord then plug your phone in to play some happy music. The fact the song was sung by your ex made everyone look at you; this made your cheeks turn a deep red as you turn to look back out the window.

“You just…” 

“Shut up… Just because I’m bitter from our break-up doesn’t mean I don’t like her music.” You cut Tiff off but she just smiles at you, eyes looking at you through the rearview mirror. Deep down you still loved her, but the hurt was also there. Not as bad as it was, but it’s still there alongside pride that she’s become so successful in just two years. Smiling faintly as happy memories cross your mind you zone out to the music for the remainder of the ride. 

A few hours later finds you a little buzzed from the drinks you were given by your friends, the music blaring through the speakers as you dance and sing along with the music. Her band hadn’t come out yet, but they would be soon so you wanted to have a little buzz on before seeing her to dull the pain you knew you would be feeling. As the song comes to an end, you stop dancing then watch the stage as her and her band appear. An arm drapes across your shoulders, glancing sideways you see Jen to your left with Tiff to your right as they keep you between them. 

“How you doing, Sammy?” Jen asks, her voice a little slurred causing you to chuckle. 

“I’m fine. Surprisingly.” Taking another sip of your drink, you then look at Tiff who is drinking water since she’s going to be the sober driver and she wasn’t much for booze anyways. As the band begins to sing you find yourself getting lost in the music again, that familiar tightening in your chest starting again. With a sigh you excuse yourself then slip through the crowd to go outside of the building. Leaning against the cool surface your eyes raise up to the sky as a hand grips the shirt over your heart. Heart beating fast you let yourself sink down then drop your head forward as a few tears escape your eyes. ‘Fuck!’ Pulling the hat down to cover your eyes, shoulders shaking as you let out a sob then cover your mouth as the door opens, music blaring through the doors before it closes as the people walk away and the sound dulling to background noise once again. 

Taking a deep breath you hold it then let it out slowly to fight off the mild panic attack. Leaning head back against the building you take out a blunt then light it before taking a slow drag, eyes half closed you blow the smoke towards the sky. As you stare up at the sky you suddenly hear singing as though a person was sitting right beside you; this makes you jump to your feet as you look around, eyes wide. The song sounded familiar, but you couldn’t place it and the voice…. It caused your heart beat to quicken again. “H-Hello?” You call out then look around the corner of the building. No one was around, this makes you frown, “The hell…” Though as the song continues you feel yourself relaxing at the soothing baritone of the voice. Letting out a slow breath your shoulders slump as the singing seems to help you relax.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING! Brief mention of self harm.

The weekend goes by fast after the concert, you spend all of Sunday studying for your test, take your little brother to the park and help with the chores around the house. School goes as it usually does, take notes, spend time with friends, go home, study, eat, sleep and repeat. Every so often you would hear that same voice singing to you inside your head, at first it scared you but as the weeks passed it soon became a comfort. Like the voice knew when you were sad so they would sing to cheer you up, and you would do the same for them when you felt the sudden wave of sadness. Or anytime you felt like the voice wasn’t in a good mood you did what you could to cheer them up. Along with this voice, you found your love for music again. 

It was during a free period that you found yourself in the music room, playing a simple tune on the piano as you softly hummed under your breath. Splaying fingers across the keys, you smile then closes eyes as you start to sing a little louder. 

The sound of the door opening makes you stop as Tiff and Jen walk in, “There you are.” They each take a seat as they look at you. Head tilting in confusion you notice how they seem to be smiling a lot. 

“W-What? Do I have something on my face?” Pulling the sleeves of your sweater down over your hands, you rub the sleeves over your face causing the two of them to burst out laughing. 

“No, no. Nothing is on your face. It’s just… You’ve been in here a lot lately, especially since the concert. You also seem happier.” Jen says as she braids the ends of her hair. 

“Well you guys told me it’s time to move on and leave the past in the past. So that’s what I’m doing.” Playing a few notes, you hum again as that voice starts to hum inside your head as well. Hearing this makes you smile more; the girls sitting in front of you notice this. 

“We’re glad. We really are. But what made you so happy all of a sudden?” Tiff asks, pulling you out of your thoughts, a faint blush on your cheeks. 

“Um, well… You’ll think I’m crazy if I tell you.” Pulling your hood up to hide your face, the two of them stare at you in silence for a while then sigh.

“No we won’t, Sam. So you can tell us.” Tiff reaches out to pat you on the head. Hunching your shoulders then lean back to look at the two of them, you sigh before nodding.

“Okay… so during the concert when I went outside I heard someone singing. And yes, I know we were at a concert but it wasn’t her voice… It was a guy's voice, but there was no one around… After a few minutes of searching it clicked that the voice was inside my head,” looking up at your friends, you frown more, “You think my meds are making me crazy?” The two look at each other than back at you.

“No, I don’t think the meds should do that. But maybe you should go see a doctor after school just in case.” Nodding at this the bell rings and the three of you head to the final class of the day. After school Tiff drives you into town so you could go see the family doctor. Upon explaining to him what was happening, he stares at you in silence for a few moments then starts typing away at his computer. Frowning at this, you swing your feet to wait to see what he has to say about this. 

“Sam, have you ever heard of the Soulmate phenomenon?” He asks, making you jump as you look at him. 

“Um, I think so. Back when I was a kid my dad would tell me stories about it. Why?” Swallowing the lump in your throat as you try to hold down the hopes that the voice was your soulmate, because you were scared that this person would leave you just like everyone else in your life has. 

“Based on what you’ve told me you’ve been hearing. I think it’s safe to say that you and your soulmate have found each other,” the doctor clasps his hands on the desk as he scowls a bit, “The only problem with this is that… Most soulmates never met in their lifetimes because of distance and social standing. Very rarely is there a chance that a soulmate could be in a completely different universe as well.” Those words made your chest tighten up to where you couldn’t breath. Clenching hands against your chest, you double over trying to drag air into your lunges the edges of your vision starting to turn grey; the sound of a chair scraping across the floor is the last thing you hear before passing out.

Waking up you find yourself on a couch in the back room of the clinic. Tiff sitting on a chair beside the couch, in the distance you can hear your mother talking with someone. Letting out a groan as you sit up, Tiff jumps up then helps you, “You’re awake.” she breathes out a sigh then smiles. 

“Uh, yeah. Sorry I think I had a panic attack. Sorry.” Rubbing the back of your neck you slide feet to the floor then stand up as the door opens. Looking up your mother walks in behind the doctor who lets out a sigh as he sees that you’re awake. 

“Good, you’re awake. I’m sorry about what happened. Giving you that much information at once was a mistake on my part,” the doctor then hands you a file that has a stack of papers inside, “The rest of the information is in there for you to do with as you please. If you need anymore help on the matter then feel free to come see me.” With a nod and a thank you, you follow your mother and Tiffany out to their cars. Grabbing the backpack from Tiff’s car you thank her for driving you here then join your mom to head home.

The drive home is quiet as your mother feels like you don’t want to talk, which is something you’re grateful for, grateful that she understands not to push a subject or ask about it until you’re ready to talk. Once home you go down to your room to look through the file folder the doctor gave you; sitting on the bed with the papers spread out around, you’re reading one that tells about being able to hear your soulmate in your head. Tilting head a little you start to hum softly, seeing if anything happens.

===========

The sounds of pencils writing fills the quiet classroom as students write down answers for the test they’re taking. A certain raven haired boy stands up then quietly goes to the front to hand in his finished paper before grabbing his bag then leaving the class. Closing the door behind him, he sighs then runs fingers through his hair. ‘Well one exam down, Another one tomorrow.’ Going up to the roof he lays down using the backpack as a pillow, headphones in as he plays some soothing music.   
“It’s been a quiet few days, haven’t heard from them in a bit.” He frowns as he mumbles to himself when suddenly it feels like his something is squeezing his chest. Sitting upright with a hand clenching against his shirt, he tries to take in a few deep breaths. ‘Panic attack? Heart attack? Is it..’ he stiffens when he feels it’s not him but his soulmate. Eyes darting left then right as he tries to think of something then starts to hum a tune his grandmother used to sing to him when he would have nightmares. Slowly the tightening loosens up as his soulmate relaxes. Letting his hand fall, he looks at the palm as his hand shakes slightly. “I hope they’re okay.” Tilting his head back, he looks up at the sky then groans as the bell rings. 

Getting up he heads to the club room to change for practice. He’s so lost in thought that he nearly runs over Kenma who was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. “Kuroo?” The boy looks up at his friend who just smiles and ruffles his hair. 

“I’m good. Just needed some fresh air after sitting in a classroom all day.” He says then the two head to practice. As practice goes on the team works on combos and team building before Kuro tells them all to take a break. Taking a drink of water he hears the sound of faint humming, with a quick look around he sees no one and smiles. ‘They’re okay.’ He lets out the breath he was holding since that panic attack earlier. Kenma tilts his head as he looks up at Kuro then faintly smiles.

“I’m guessing you hear them again?” The question makes the taller male jump before turning to look down at his friend with a nod. “I’m glad.” Kuro laughs softly then drinks more of his water; looking around the gym at his other team mates he lets himself get lost in thought for a moment. Then he looks at the clock high on the wall by the double doors to see it’s been an hour since practice started. 

“Alright! That’s enough for today. Since it was an exam today you can all go home early to relax!” The gym is filled with cheers; Kuro then shakes his fist pretending to be angry and everyone just laughs. 

Later that night Kuro is reading as he usually does before bed when he comes across something in the book, rereading it he tilts his head, “Interesting.” The book was another study on the soulmate phenomenon, and it told him some more information on how to communicate with your soulmate. Reaching over to his bedside table, he pulls a sharpie out of the pencil holder then writes two letters on his arm ‘Hi’ and waits. Eye staring at the blank space under those two letters wondering if you could read them yet. After a few minutes of waiting, nothing happens which makes his sigh. “Guess it’s still a bit too early. One could hope though.” He chuckles then puts everything away before going to bed.

==========

“Sam!” A voice yells as a weight tackling your back nearly knocks you down but you manage to stay on your feet as Travis had jumped onto your back. “You gonna participate in this years talent show?” The red haired male slips off your back to walk beside you, Tiff and Jen walking on your other side as you all head down for lunch.

“Maybe.” Shoving hands into your pockets you look at the ground.

“You should!”

“Yeah, everyone would love to hear you sing again!” 

“Hell yeah! Your voice is awesome!” 

Looking at your friends you can’t help but smile softly as your cheeks turn a light red. “Shut up you three. My voice isn’t that great.” And that’s genuinely what you thought, your voice wasn’t that great when it wasn’t harmonizing with your ex’s voice. If the two of you had stayed together, you would be singing with her right now; but you weren’t, you were here with nothing but memories and a ruined love for music. But that love of music was coming back, especially now that you know you have a soulmate out there. Meaning that maybe you were allowed to love someone and be loved by someone.

“If you do. Can I choose the song?” Jen asks as she steps forward to grab her food from the cook then you all head to a table to eat. Sitting down you grab the notebook from your pocket then slide it across to the blonde haired girl who squeals then starts to go through the list of songs you have there. One each page was the lyrics for songs you did covers of and ones you wrote yourself along with the notes for each instrument. Chuckling at her enthusiasm you eat your food in silence, listening for any signs of your soulmate singing or humming; the humming seems to work because you could feel that he heard it when the sudden wave of happiness washed over you, and when you had the panic attack at the doctors a few days ago you had heard them humming to help soothe you.

“These three!” Jen says as she shows you the three she wrote down. Looking at the names you couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“Silhouette by Owl City, Born for this by The Score and,” seeing the last song name you glared at the blonde sitting across the table from you, “Seriously, this is the song you want me to sing?” Teeth clenched as you growl out the words. Jen just looks at you, arms folded over her chest as she watches you.

“You said you wanted to move on. So sing this song, let out all your feelings and move on.” Slamming your hands on the table as you stand, you continue to glare at the girl.

“And you know perfectly well I can’t sing this fucking song!” Leaving the notebook there you storm off to go outside. Sitting with your back against the wall you take out a cigarette then light it and take in a deep breath before blowing out the smoke. Glaring at the burning end of the cancer stick, you sigh then roll your sleeve out before putting it out on a spot no one would be able to see, hissing softly from the pain. Tossing the stick away, you rub the burnt spot to soothe it then run fingers through your hair. When she first left you, you had started to harm yourself but after a few months gave up with lots of help from everyone but now the pain was fresh. The thought of singing brought back all the pain, you wanted to move on of course. And again you’re going around in circles. 

Pulling knees up to your chest, fingers gripping your hair and head hanging down, you grit your teeth as tears start to run down your cheeks, “Fuck.” Curling in on yourself you cry quietly until the tears run themselves dry. Using the ends of your sleeves to rub the wetness off your face, you sit up straight with legs stretched out in front of you as you stare up towards the trees. “Fuck it, might as well.” Shaking your head, you stand up then dust off your pants before heading back inside as the bell rings for class. ‘I swear I’m gonna give myself whip-lash with my emotions.’ Shoving hands into your pockets, you continue on your way.

Over the next two weeks you practice singing and playing your guitar, something that you used to love and are slowly starting to love again. A few times when things were getting you down that voice started singing softly to you again, hell they even sang to you when you were happy. That just made your heart fill with happiness, making you put more emotions into anything you were practicing at the time. 

You were at the baseball field with your friends, the guys practicing for their next game. The girls were sitting up on the bleachers behind you talking about girly things which left you to your thoughts. Guitar on the bench beside you as you get lost in thought. Grabbing a sharpie you write down something on your arm, wanting to test out a thing you read about soulmates. You wrote down the word, ‘Hello.’ Staring at it you don’t notice when someone sits behind you.

“Sam?” Jumping, you tilt your head back to look up at Tiff as she sits on the bench above yours. 

“Why’d you write that on your arm?” Looking at the word, you quickly pull down the sleeve of your black hoodie as your cheeks turn a light pink color.

“No reason.” Tiff frowns at this then moves to sit beside you and pushes the sleeve back up to your elbow. She notices the small bundle of new scars and her frown deepens more.

“You are not hurting yourself again. Are you?” She asks, completely forgetting about the word. Yanking the arm from her grasp you pull the sleeve back down and look away from her.

“I did, three times but then I stopped. The scars are healing and I won’t do it again.” Gripping your wrist, you glare down at the ground fighting back a fresh wave of tears. 

“Alright, but I’m going to be keeping an eye on you now. You know that.” She says, standing up and putting hands on her hips. Glancing up at her, you sigh then nod. “Good, now why did you write hello on your wrist?”

Sighing you roll the sleeve up enough so the word is shown then look down at it with a faint smile on your face, “Ever hear of the soulmate phenomenon?” She nods then sits back down.

“We learned about it in science a few months ago. Why?” She studies your face then her eyes go wide before she clasps hands together in front of her face, “Don’t tell me. You’ve been able to hear them?” Turning to look at her, you nod slowly then rub under the word as you look down to see if anything appeared.

“Yeah, the night of the concert was when I first heard it.” By now Jen and Megan joined the two of you at the bottom of the bleachers and were listening in. Looking at Jen, you give her a small smile,   
“Sorry for freaking out the other day. I never did apologize for it.” The blonde just waves it off then flicks your forehead.

“Make it up to me by singing that song. Who knows maybe it can have a new meaning now.” She smiles at you making your face turn a bright red. The song was from an anime that you would watch when you wanted something familiar, and well the words were in Japanese so you made an english cover of it. You were planning on singing it to your ex after her graduation but then… yeah, things happened. Slapping your cheeks with both hands to pull you from your thoughts, you look at the three girls in front of you.

“Sounds good.” They cheer, the boys looking up from the field. Cory waves the bat calling you over to play. Jumping off the bench you run to the dugout then drop down the side onto the field and stumble a bit. 

“Eager to play are we.” Tyler laughs as you join them. Punching his shoulder, you take the bat from Cory as he goes to first base. Swinging the bat a few times to get used to the weight, you then get into position to hit. Watching Tyler who is on the pitchers mound reel back then throw the ball towards you. Lifting up your right foot, you slam it onto the ground as you lean forward arms swinging the bat out as you put all your body weight into the swing. The loud bang of the bat hitting the ball rings out as the ball goes flying to the far end of the field. Dropping the bat, you run around the bases laughing as the guy in the field tries to get the ball back in to get you out. 

Dropping to the ground, you slide back onto home base. When the dust settles, your foot is on the base with the back catcher standing there, hand hovering just above your ankle. Getting up, you smile then go to grab the bat. “Geez, Sam. I forgot how good of a swing you had.” Tyler says then gives you a high five before heading back to pitch. Humming a bit you go to sit on the bench, the rest of the afternoon goes by with you batting a few more times before mom calls you to go home. Hugging the girls, you wave then grab your backpack before running down the hill to your home. Flicking something on your shoes the wheels pop out and you glide down the hill and around the turn into the driveway. 

“I’m home!” You call out, your mom giving a wave as she was in the kitchen.

“Can you go get Brad ready for dinner?” Smiling, you peck her on the cheek then head down the hallway to go get your brother. Peaking into the room you watch as he tries to play a simple video game but ends up failing, the six year old was smart but sometimes things got to him too easily. Knocking on the door you chuckle as he jumps then tackles you. 

“Come on, time to get ready for supper.” He nods then goes to the washroom to clean his hands while you go downstairs to change into clean clothes then clean up yourself in the bathroom down there. During supper you talk about the day, your brother tells you what happened in his class and you tell him stories of what happened to you today. 

“So, I hear you plan on singing in the upcoming talent show next week.” Your mother says as she sits at the table while you clean the dishes. Looking at her over your shoulder, you smile big. “I’m glad. What songs are you planning on singing?”

“Silhouette, Born for this and Blue bird.” You say without hesitation. The name of the last song has your mother staring at wide eyed, “What?” You ask, drying your hands off as you turn to see why she was suddenly quiet.

“That song..” You nod then smile softly.

“Yeah, I know. But Jen said something to me that made it click. Singing the song now could give it a whole new meaning.” 

“Oh, is this about your soulmate?” Your mother asks as she stands up, lowering your gaze to your wrist you give a small nod. Over this past weekend you had told her about how you think your soulmate has been reaching out to you.

“Yeah,” rubbing under the word that was still there, you then look back at your mother, “I figure what could it hurt. I’ve wallowed in self pity way too much these past two years. But I need to stop, it’s time to move on for real now. I’m forcing myself to go forward. I’ve healed enough and I need to start figuring out what I want to do with my future. So this is me taking that first step.” As you speak, the smile on your mothers face grows bigger then she’s up and hugging you tight.

“There’s my child.” She says softly. Tears start to prick at the corners of your eyes, your mother never called you daughter or son as you had asked her not to when you started on the Testosterone pills. Hugging her back just as tight, you nuzzle into her shoulder.

“I love you, mom.” 

“I love you too, Sam.” After a few moments she sends you off to go finish your homework. Laying in bed with a notebook and textbook out, you scribble down answers to the questions when you feel a tickling sensation on your wrist. Scratching it you look down to see two little letters, ‘Hi’ Sitting up on your knees, you stare wide eyed at the word. 

=========

Not getting anything back when he first wrote the word two weeks ago had him feeling down; Kuro sighs and rests his head on the desk, Kenma sitting in the chair in front of him as he plays a video game on the handheld device. “Keenmaaa” Kuro groans then reaches out to poke the boys cheek. 

“Hm?” Was the only response he got as Kuro kept poking him.

“Why do you think they haven’t responded?” He looks at his wrist; Kenma looks at his wrist to then shrugs and goes back to his game.

“It’s too early yet for that to work. Remember what the teacher said.” Kenma says making Kuro just groan and hit his head on the desk once. 

“Boring. I wanna talk to them.” He pouts. Yaku walks in then drops a bag on Kuro’s head causing the raven haired boy to huff before sitting up then dig through the bag for his drink and food. 

“Why are you so pouty today?” Yaku asks as he sits on the desk beside Kuro’s.

“His soulmate didn’t respond when he wrote on his wrist two weeks ago.” Kenma says with a monotone voice. Yaku who was taking a drink nearly spits it out as his eyes go wide.

“Soulmate? You’ve found your soulmate?!” Kuro swats at the boy to shut him. 

“Heard them. Not found, just heard.” Kuro says then takes a bite of his food.

“That’s awesome! It’s rare for that to happen to anyone!” Yaki says and laughs; shaking his head, Kuro leans his chin on his hand and looks outside. As he does this, Yaku talks with Kenma or talks as much as he could with the very distracted boy. Getting lost in his own thoughts, Kuro scratches at his wrist when it starts to tickle then looks down when it doesn’t go away right away. His whole body stiffens up, eyes wide as he starts down at the black letters that appeared there. 

“Kuro?” Kenma sees his friend go still then follows his gaze to his wrist; Yaku does the same then nearly knocks Kuro over when he tackles the taller boy. 

“Is that fro-” Kuro shoves his hand into Yaku’s face to shut him up and get him off as he continues to look at the word. Then he holds his hand out to Kenma.

“Sharpie or something to write with.” Kenma gives him a pen then Kuro writes down ‘Hi’ on his wrist under the Hello that appeared there. Now the soulmate phenomenon is still being studied but what scientists have managed to learn is that the connection first appears when you can hear the voice of your soulmate singing, as time goes on the two connected souls will be able to write on their skin which the other can read and respond to. After that things get tricky because one of two things can happen; 1: They finally meet as they are in the same universe or 2: They learn that they are in separate universes and give up. Now most people wouldn’t give up, but sometimes people just do because they don’t want to wait. It’s normal in all honesty, at least according to the studies. But there is a very rare, 0.02% chance that soulmates in different universes meet; there are only several recorded instances in the history books on this phenomenon. 

===

You smile as they respond, then you write down a response and the two of you converse for a while until you fall asleep. The next morning you wake up to find the words gone, but your heart also felt full; throughout the entire day you had a smile on your face. Everyone noticed, some asked questions but you just said you felt good today. 

And before you know it the day of the talent show has arrived. Standing backstage you fix the button up shirt your wearing and sigh. It was your turn next, and you were nervous as it’s been a long time since you sang in front of a crowd. When your name was called, you take a deep breath then walk out to take a seat on the stool in front of the microphone. Introducing yourself, you then begin to sing. Eyes closed as you put all your emotions into the songs, when you got to the final one you looked out at the crowd. For a moment you got lost in your thoughts then began to sing again, this time your voice shook as you remembered your ex and how you wrote this song to let her know that you would be there for her through everything. But now you sung your heart out as you sang this for your soulmate, a silent promise that you would find them. Screw being in a different universe; screw how things were, you were going to find a way. And as you finished singing out your heart, the crowd was silent before breaking out in a loud applause. 

Standing up, you bow and say thank you before walking off stage. Slipping past everyone you go out the back then lean against the wall and breath in the fresh night air. Looking up at the sky in time to see a shooting star, you make a wish. ‘I wish to meet you. Please, let me meet my soulmate.’ As soon as the wish is made a bright light surrounds you; windy whipping around you, making you freeze in place then the ground opens up under you. “What the?!” Trying to grab onto anything, you fall down through the white hole that suddenly appeared.


	3. Chapter 3

Opening your eyes, you groan then put a hand to your forehead, “Ouch. The fuck was that?” Muttering to yourself, you look around then immediately sit up, eyes going wide as the place doesn’t look familiar. “W-Where am I?’ Getting up, you turn in a circle as you find yourself in the middle of a park. To your left was a swing set, sandbox and other things kid’s play on at parks; to your right was the entrance and a road beyond the gate. Then you look down at yourself, see no scratches or anything which you breathe a sigh of relief.

“Well least I’m not hurt. Though there was a flash…” Voice trailing off you rest a finger under your chin and think about what happened. You had finished your set for the talent show, gone outside for some fresh air, made a wish then suddenly a white light drops you into a hole. As you’re lost in thought you don’t notice the group of kids that enter the park; a group of delinquents at that. They see you, so one decides to try to make conversation. But you ignore them, and this pisses the guy off; he stands in front of you then leans down into your line of vision, trying to say something else to you. The sound registers in your ears and you look up at him. The guy had a buzz cut, ears pierced from the bottom to the top, a tattoo peaked out from beneath the collar of his shirt and he was giving you the stink eye. Listening to what he was saying, you soon figured out you couldn’t understand anything.

“I… I’m sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” One of the other delinquents seems to understand what you said so relays it to the one in front of you. With a growl the guy punches you hard in the face; unsure of what the hell was going on, you retaliate. 

After a few moments of managing to put up a fight one of the others comes up behind you, grabbing your arms then kicks the back of your knees to knock you down. Taking his chance, buzzcut aims a kick at your side sending you sprawling on the ground. Glaring up at him, you try to get up but end up down again after another perfectly aimed kick to your ribs. Coughing up some blood after one of the others kicks you in the jaw, nearly causing you to pass out. Wrapping arms around yourself as you curl up, trying to protect yourself from the kicks. 

“Hey, what’s going on here?!” A voice yells out causing your attackers to stop what they’re doing and turn to the voice. Opening an eye you see a brunette male standing there in a white and turquoise volleyball uniform, behind him stood another boy with dark, spiky hair. 

“What’s it to you?” Buzzcut said, trying to be intimidating, this just made the brunette laugh as he glared at the attackers.

“I advise you assholes to take off before I get mad.” This boys eyes turn dark as his glare seems to get more intense with a tilt of his head. Buzzcut tsks then runs at the new person, aiming to punch him only to be tripped then kicked in the back. 

“Last warning, buzzcut.” He says, voice low but cold as ice. The spiky haired boy sighs then takes a step back. 

“Best to listen to him.” This boy's voice was calmer, though there was a threat hidden in there. Buzzcut taking the hint gets up then leaves, his lackeys soon following suit but not after each getting in another kick to your side. Gasping as the pain in your ribs worsens, you curl into more of a ball as your body begins to shake slightly. Once the group was gone, the brown haired boy walks over then crouches down in front of you but not too close so he doesn’t scare you. 

“Hey, are you able to walk?” His voice was soft now, none of the malice in his voice from earlier. Frowning up at him, you try to understand what he says then open your mouth to say something only to cough up a few drops of blood. “Shit.” He says then moves forward to slide his arm under your knees and the other behind your back before picking you up. Stiffening up in his hold, you stare wide eyed at the ground. 

“Oikawa?” The spiky haired boy speaks up as he joins the two of you, “You sure it’s okay to just pick them up like that?”

“She’s coughed up blood, so yes I’m sure its fine. I’m taking her down to the clinic, so you can go on ahead, Iwa-chan.” Oikawa says then turns to walk back the way they came. Iwa watches them before turning to continue on his way home. 

========

Kuro flops onto his bed after finally getting home and looks at his wrist before writing, “Heya!” on it. Then he lays the arm over his head before slowly falling asleep for a much needed nap. When he wakes up next it’s dark outside, so he gets up then goes to eat something for supper before heading to bed. 

The next morning when he still doesn’t have a response to what he wrote last night, he frowns getting a little worried. It’s been two days since your talent show, and he wanted to know how it went but he does remember hearing you sing so he assumes it went okay. As the day goes on, classes pass slowly and then he’s at volleyball practice. 

“Hey, Kuro, you okay?” Lev asks as he looks to the captain. Kuro just nods then takes his turn to serve before running up as the practice match begins. Ignoring the nagging feeling in his stomach, he puts all his focus into the practice match against Shinzen. As he goes to jump to block a spike, a sudden flash of white light blinds him causing his judgement of where the ball is to be off and he ends up getting hit in the face with it. Landing on his back, he groans and stares up at the ceiling. 

“Time out!” One of the Shinzen players calls as they go to check on Kuro, “You okay there man?” Kuro blinks then looks up at the other male before shrugging then gets up with the help of the offered hand. 

“Yeah, sorry but do you think we could postpone today’s practice match until a later date.” Kuro hates to do this but he can’t focus, so it’s best if they stop for now. 

“No, you go take a break. We’ll keep practicing.” Kenma says, arms folded over his chest as he looks up at the taller male with as much of a glare as he could muster. This makes Kuro chuckle before ruffling the kids hair and walking off. 

“Fine, I’ll be back. Probably. Just need some air.” He waves then steps outside into the night air. Going over to the grass, he lays down to stare up at the sky. ‘I hope you’re okay, kid.’ He thinks then lets his eyes close. 

=======

After getting checked up at the clinic the doctor sends you to the hospital so they could watch you overnight as you had a few cracked ribs from the kicks. Oikawa tries to talk to you but you just frown not understanding a word he says. The boy also frowns, hands on his hips then lets out a sigh , “Do you even understand a word I’m saying?” The doctor just figured you were mute after asking some questions to which you didn’t answer. 

Oikawa drops down into the chair beside your bed and runs fingers through his hair as he studies you. You were sitting with knees tucked under your chin and arms wrapped around them. Staring straight ahead, you try to figure out where the hell you were and why you couldn’t understand a word anyone was saying. You could pick up a few words thanks to what Kuro was able to teach you through writing, but not much. Then you sit up straight as your eyes widen; glancing to the boy beside you, catching his gaze he gives you a questioning look.

“K… Kuroo T.. Tetsurou.” Your voice came out hoarse, turning your head into your arms. You cough then sit up again to look back at the boy; who’s eyes were now wide. 

“Kuroo Tetsurou?” The question was in his voice, but you just nod. He then frowns before getting up then holds up a finger asking you to wait a moment before moving to the other side of the room to make a call. Lucky enough he happens to have Kuroo’s cell number; tapping the dial button he looks at you as he holds the phone to his ear. “Heya, Kuroo-san. I know this may seem odd, but I need you to come to the hospital by my school.” Oikawa turns his gaze to look out the window as he listens to the other person speak, “I don’t know. Just hurry up, this might be something important.” With that he hangs up and turns back to you. 

You had your eyes narrowed as you watch him, Oikawa smiles then holds his hands up, “No worries. Just made a call to a friend.” He sits back down on the chair. Sighing a bit, not sure what he said you just shrug then lay down with your back to him. Pulling the blanket up you curl up to try and rest, figuring that’s the best idea with how sore you were feeling. Soon enough the painkillers pull you into a restless sleep. 

As soon as Kuro got the call from Oikawa he ran back inside to say he had to leave because something came up, grabbed his things then took off towards the train station. The train ride took a little over an hour before he jumped off to run the rest of the way to where Oikawa was. Passing Aoba Johsai high, he sees the hospital in the distance then picks up his pace. Slowing down outside, he looks around then spots Oikawa standing down the hallway. “Oikawa!” Kuro says loud enough to be heard, the aforementioned boy lifts his head then waves. 

“Took ya long enough.” He smirks then looks over his shoulder to the door behind him, “She’s asleep right now. Who is she to you?” His eyes then drift back to the raven haired boy; Kuro looks at the door then to Oikawa at the question. 

“Who?”

“I don’t have a name, and I think she might not understand anything I’ve said to her. But she isn’t mute since she said your name.” Kuro pushes past the male to go to the door then opens it quietly before slipping inside. Oikawa sighs then follows behind him, feeling a bit responsible for you since he found you. Leaning against the wall just inside the door, he watches as Kuro sits on the chair beside your bed. You were rolled over to face the door, breathing softly as you slept. Reaching his hand out, Kuro tucks a strand of hair behind your ear the action wakes you up as another blinding white light explodes in both of yours and his vision. A ringing in your ears sounds as the white light soon dies down, blue eyes locking with black, the two of you stare at each other. 

“K… Kuro?” Your voice is barely a whisper as you stare in awe at the boy in front of you; Kuro seems just as shocked at you.

“Sam, is… is it really you?” His voice is also barely above a whisper, and the fact you understand what he said has your eyes widening even more. It takes you another second to process that arms are suddenly pulling you into a hug. Chin tucked against his shoulder as you look at the brown haired boy by the door; Kuro has his face buried against your shoulder, hugging you as tight as possible. Moving your own hands you grip the back of his shirt tightly as you cling to him, tears pricking the corner of your eyes. 

“Y-Yeah, it’s me.” You smile lightly then bury your face against his shoulder. Oikawa takes that as his cue to leave, so he goes to the waiting room. 

The two of you sit there for a few silent moments until Kuro pulls back to look at you, glancing back he sees that Oikawa left before looking back to you, “Will you be okay for a few minutes while I go talk to Oikawa?” You look up at him then nod before moving to lay back down. Without really thinking, Kuro leans down to press a soft kiss to your forehead before slipping out to go find the other boy. “Oikawa?” The brunette looks up from his phone then stands to walk over to Kuro. 

“What’s up?”

“Where’d you find her and what exactly happened?” Kuro asks as his eyes narrow a bit, though there was no threat behind his words or in his gaze.

“I was on my way home when I found her being beaten by a group of thugs. So I scared them off along with Iwa-chan,” Oikawa folds his arms over his chest as he levels his gaze on Kuro, “What is she to you? She wasn’t able to understand a word anyone said to her but you suddenly show up and she can.”

Kuro shoves his hands into his pockets then leans against the wall, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling before glancing to the other male, “She’s my soulmate.” Oikawa just raises an eyebrow then looks down the hallway towards your room.

“Well that explains everything.” He chuckles softly then looks down at his phone, “I have to go. Mom wants me home.” Picking up his backpack and jacket he heads towards the front entrance. 

“Oikawa!” Kuro says loud enough for the retreating male to hear, Oikawa looks back at him over his shoulder, “I owe you for saving her. Thank you.” Oikawa just smiles then disappears into the night. Kuro stares at the doors before turning to go back to where you are. Sitting down in the chair beside your bed, he reaches out to pet your hair as it seems you’ve fallen back to sleep. The boy begins to hum a soft tune before taking out his phone to message his mom to let her know he probably wouldn’t be home tonight.

The next morning you wake up a little disoriented, a weight on the blankets makes you look down to see Kuro laying there or more to the point, his head as he was still in the chair. Laughing softly at this you flick his forehead, “Wake up.” You mutter as he grumbles before sitting up then stretches letting out a groan. “You could’ve slept on the couch instead of laying like that.” Sitting up, you tie back your hair into the small ponytail then sigh softly. 

“Didn’t mean to, just feel asleep. Also wanted to make sure this wasn’t a dream.” His voice trails off, you raise an eyebrow as you didn’t catch the last part but before you could ask what he said the doctor walks in. 

“Ah, good morning Miss..” the doctor's voice trails off as he looks down to the papers. You sigh then sit up straight, facing the older male. 

“Sam, my name is Sam Asami.” The doctor nods then writes down the name on the papers. 

“So it seems you have a different person here with you. The other boy left, I take it?” Both you and Kuro nod; Kuro stands up to move out of the doctor's way as he checks you over then writes more down on the papers. “Alright, seems the ribs will heal easily as they weren’t broken just had a mild fracture from being hit too hard. I’m going to give you some medicine that should help with the pain. The bruises and cuts will heal in time, nothing too serious.” The doctor's brows scrunch up as he notices something then looks up at you, “Miss, it seems your emergency information was left blank. Is there a reason for that?”

“It’s because her parents passed away and she just moved in with my family. We’re still working on getting her paperwork done.” Kuro says as he stands beside the bed across from the doctor; the doctor looks at the boy then nods. 

“Alright, I expect that paperwork soon so I can fill out the rest of these forums.” He taps the papers he has then leaves. “You can sign out the discharge papers whenever you are ready. Your prescription will be at the front desk.” Sliding your feet to the floor you stand up, then wince a bit as the dull ache in your chest throbs where the ribs were bruised. Rubbing the spot you stiffen up when you notice the binder is gone. Looking around you find it on the bedside table along with your phone, jacket and wallet; letting out your breath you pull the jacket on then slip the wallet and binder into the pocket. 

“You sure lying to them is a good idea?” You ask Kuro as he gets his bag then leads you out the door. He doesn’t say anything until the papers are signed, you have your prescription and the two of you were almost to the train station before answering.

“It’s not a lie because it’s the best step we got right now. Unless you have somewhere else you can go?” He says and glances at you; you look down at the ground before you stop walking. The reality of everything suddenly hitting you causing your knees to give out as the shock settles in. The white light, not being able to understand the words being said to you, being attacked for no reason, the thought of never seeing your mom or brother or friends again, the weight of everything that’s happened cause your chest to tighten. Clenching a hand against your chest, you try to pull air into your lunges. Kuro sees you then drops his bag before kneeling in front of you then pulls you into him. 

“Breath. In, hold it then out.” He tells you softly, “Focus on my breathing if it helps.” Through the fog in your mind you hear his words then do your best to focus on his breathing, mimicking what he does until the fog fades away and you feel yourself calming down. He leans back to look down at you as you just stare blankly ahead. Frowning at this, he grabs his bag then puts it on his shoulder before picking you up with an arm under your knees the other supporting your back. Not really focusing on anything, you try to keep your breathing even so as not to have another panic attack. 

As Kuro finds a seat on the train the soft hum of the background noise lulls you into a light sleep. Head tucked into Kuro’s shoulder, you sleep as peacefully as you could. The boy looks down at you then sighs before looking out the window getting lost in thought. An hour later he wakes you up so that you could walk with him to his house. Since his parents weren’t home at the moment, he leads you up to his room then finds something for you to change into. Finding a shirt and sweatpants, he offers them to you, “If you want to shower the bathroom is through that door. I need to make a quick call.” Taking the clothes you nod but keep your eyes on the ground before shuffling into the bathroom. Setting the clothes down, you look around the room seeing how things work then try to turn the shower one, it takes a few tries cause you were still half asleep but you finally manage to get it to the right temp before slipping off your dirty clothes. Seeing movement out of the corner of your eye you catch sight of yourself in the full length mirror that was leaning against the wall. Without the binder on you could see the dark bruises around your ribs as well as the cuts and bruises along your stomach, legs and sides from where they kicked you and rocks dug deep through the clothes. 

Clenching your jaw you turn away from the mirror then step under the hot water. Tilting head back you sigh as the hot water washes the dirt off your body, it also helps you to relax a little more. ‘I wonder if my phone… No, it won’t work here. Otherwise talking to Kuro would’ve been easier.’ You think to yourself then frown more before just sitting under the water. Head falling forward you stare down at your hands as they shake slightly. Yes for the last four months ever since you were able to write messages to Kuro you wanted to be with him, but right now you were just scared. Everything was way too much at this point. Sitting there lost in thought you start to shiver as the water has gotten cold a few moments before; turning it off, you step out then grab a towel to dry yourself off. Pulling the binder out of your pocket you frown seeing that it was cut up, ‘Fucking doctors must’ve cut it off.’ Sighing you through it in the garbage then pulling on the t-shirt, it fell down to just above your knees and was very baggy on you, one of the shoulders sliding down till it almost fell off your shoulder. Pulling on the sweatpants you had to tie them to make sure they stayed up; then you groan when you remember you have no underwear. Ruffling your hair in frustration as your cheeks turn a light pink, you walk back to Kuro’s room to find him sitting on his bed still on the phone.

He sees you come in and gives you a smile, forcing a tiny one back on you then sit on the floor opposite his bed with your back against the wall. He watches you while listening to the person on the phone, answering when prompted to. He gives you a thumbs up as a silent question to see how you were, you just tilt your head side to side to let him know you were okay but not fully; he nods at this then takes out a notebook and pen to write somethings down. “Alright mom. I’ll talk to you when you get home. Love you.” He says then hangs up and tosses the phone onto his desk before running fingers through his hair. 

“I’m sorry.” You say then look down as you mess with the zipper on your jacket; Kuro frowns as he looks at him. “All of this is so sudden, I… I didn’t think I’d ever be here or be able to see you.” You say talking more to yourself then to him.

“It’s sudden, yes, but the universe has never been one to make sense.” He says with a soft chuckle and looks at the floor between his feet. “There is no need to be sorry for this either. None of it is your fault.” Biting the inside of your cheek, you chance a glance up at him but he’s looking down. “After your talent show, what happened?” He asks after a few tense moments of silence. 

“I went outside to get some air. I was feeling better then I had in a long time after finally being able to sing like I used to. While I was outside I saw a shooting star then made a wish..” Your voice trails off as you remember making the wish then the white light before waking up in that park yesterday. “When was the last time you heard from me?”

“Four days ago, I heard you singing. Then everything went quiet, I even wrote messages on my wrist but you never responded.”

“Four days…” biting the pad of your thumb as you think, eyes darting back and forth on the floor in front of you, “So I was in limbo for four days then appeared in that park yesterday where that boy found me.” Kuro stares at you with wide eyes then frowns before looking down at his hands. 

“I see.” Is all he says then sighs before standing up, “Hungry?” He asks as he leaves the room, you get up to follow after him leaving your clothes where you had been sitting. Following him into the kitchen, you notice no one is home. “Mom’s at work, dad’s on a business trip and granny is out running some errands.” You frown as it seems he could read your mind, he sees this and just smirks. “It was the look on your face, Sam.”

Letting out a soft huff you go to the table then sit down, resting chin on the table top as you watch the boy move around the kitchen cooking up something for lunch. “Is it okay for you to skip school today… If you have school that is.” Scrunching up your face as you think; Kuro chuckles as he sets a glass of orange juice in front of you. 

“Called mom and told her what happened.” Sitting up, you take a drink of the juice as Kuro goes to check on the food. “I told her about you a while back, she was happy and a bit worried. So yeah, no need to worry.” He finished platting the food then sets one down in front of you before taking a seat across the table. “Curry, mild since I don’t know if you like spicy food or not.” Picking up the fork you start to eat then stop when you catch Kuro watching you. 

“W-What?” You stutter, lowering the fork back onto the plate. He looks at you then just chuckles before shaking his head. Frowning at this, you kick his shin under the table. “Tell me ya crownest-for-hair.” At the name he bursts out laughing, letting out a huff you mutter something under your breath then start to eat; eyes glaring off to your right as you do. Kuro just shakes his head as his laughter dies down to a chuckle then begins to eat as well.

“You’re cute.” He says between bites, this makes your face heat up then you kick his shin again earning a loud ouch from the boy who reaches over to steal a bite of your food. 

“Oi!” Picking the dish up to keep it out of his reach, your playful banter continues for a while until the sound of a door closing makes you both fall silent. 

“I’m home!” Calls out a feminine voice. Kuro laughs then gets up to take both your empty plates to the sink, you follow him then stand in front of the sink to start cleaning. Behind you, Kuro’s grandmother walks in to see the two of you; Kuro looks over his shoulder at the elderly lady then goes to help her with the bags. 

“Welcome home, granny.” He says, the lady smiles up at him then her gaze falls to you as you turn to face them holding a plate as you clean it. Giving a shy smile at the lady, she walks over to stand in front of you. Stiffening up a bit as she seems to study you before her hand reaches up to gently cup your cheek. 

“Hello deary, welcome to our home.” Was all she says before going to the living room. Standing there with wide eyes you don’t notice Kuro until he takes the plate from your hand. 

“You okay?” He asks, voice low enough so that only you could hear. Blinking a few times to pull yourself from your thoughts then give him a nod before turning back to finish cleaning; Kuro watches you as you clean with a small frown before reaching a hand out to pet your hair. “What’s on your mind?” He leans back against the counter so he could watch you. Gripping the edge of the counter as you look down into the sink. 

“I… It’s been a while since I’ve seen my own grandmother, she passed away when I was young. So I guess seeing your granny brought back some memories. Good ones, but they also made me sad because I miss her so much.” Suddenly your pulled into the boy as he hugs you tight, a hand resting on the back of your head as he holds you against his chest. Stiffening up at the sudden hug, it takes you a few moments before starting to relax, hearing his heartbeat in your ear helps you. Slowly you raise your arms up to wrap around his waist, hugging him back and nuzzle into his chest; he smiles and rests chin on top of your head. 

Pulling back after a minute you turn back to the sink to finish cleaning up, Kuro dries the dishes then puts them away. Once that was done you hear another voice annoucing they were home, “Hmm, moms home a bit early.” He says seeing that it was just passed 1pm. The two of you turn to see a lady with long black hair standing in the doorway to the kitchen; her gaze locks with yours and you shift a bit under her gaze as it feels more intense then granny’s. Wrapping arms around yourself you hunch your shoulders and lower head a little, eyes cast to the floor in front of you. Being timid wasn’t something you were used to, but with so many eyes looking at you like that today plus the fact your binder was destroyed you felt self concsicnouse. 

“Pretty.” Was all you heard before a pair of hands cup your cheeks then lift your head up so the lady could look at you. Blushing a bit as Kuro’s mom stands right in front of you with a soft smile, “You must be Sam, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Mika.” Looking into the ladys eyes all you see is kindess much like what your own mothers eyes give off, this makes you smile softly. 

“I-It’s nice to meet you, Mika.” You say then straighten up when she drops her hands from your face. She then turns to Kuro though she does glance at you out of the side of her eye. 

“I’ll have to call your father to let him know. Then we’ll go get the paper work that we need to fill out. And also will have to stop by your school as well to get the enrollment papers for her.” Kuro nods as he listens, you watch the two of them then slip out of the kitchen to go up to Kuro’s room. Crouching down by the pile of clothes, you dig through the pant pockets till you find your phone then sit down to turn it on. It powers on but the screen is white as a large crack cuts through the glass. 

“What were you expecting. Not like the thing is going to work here anyways.” You mutter to yourself then lay back on the floor. “I hope I can salvage the sim card though.” You lift the phone up then take the back off to find the tiny card and pop that out then grab your wallet and put it into the small coin pocket before zipping it closed. Laying an arm over your eyes you just stay there enjoying the silence for as long as you could, trying to get your mind to be quiet so you could at least relax. Taking a few deep breaths you relax even more as things start to settle in. “I really am here.” A chuckle from somewhere beside you makes you sit up fast then turn to look over at the source of the sound. 

“Hey, Chibi-chan~” Kuro says as he’s sitting on his bed, phone in hand as he watches you. Frowning a bit you fold legs in front of yourself then turn to fold up your clothes. “If you want those washed, mom has a load ready for the laundry.” He says then reaches out to take them before you could say anything, he goes to put them in the laundry basket in the hallway then returns to his room. He notices you holding a piece of fabric that was cut, “What’s that?”

Glancing at him, you roll the piece of fabric up then throw it into the wastebasket by his desk, “My binder. The doctor must’ve cut it off when I was passed out.” Kuro gives you a confused look which just makes you sigh, then tilt your head back to look up at the ceiling, “I was planning on transitioning once I graduated high school.” Glancing to the male you notice he is still confused which just makes you groan. “You ever hear of a transgender person?” Kuro blinks and sits up straight as he watches you; you don’t notice as you continue to stare at the ceiling.

“I’ve heard, there are people around here like that too. But why do you want to change? You look fine the way you are.” He says this and suddenly you’re on your feet, glaring at the male sitting on the bed. 

“Just because you think I look fine the way I am, doesn’t mean I feel comfortable in my own body!” You growl out, hands curled into fists at your side, “I’ve always felt out of place in this body of mine. So I want to change it to where I feel like myself.” Kuro holds his hands up to placate the anger you sudden throw at him. 

“Easy, I didn’t mean anything by it.” You continue to glare at him until he turns his head to look away from you, “If you want… we can go out to get you a new binder and some clothes tomorrow after practice.” Looking out the window as you let the anger fade with each breath you notice that the sun was already starting to set, then you look at the clock. The afternoon had gone by pretty fast; you must’ve been in your mind a lot longer than you originally thought. “But for now,” he says with a groan as he stands to go to his closet, pulling out a rolled up futon then spreads it out along with a blanket and pillow, “I think we should get ready for supper. Then sleep after,” he turns to look at his bedroom door when a knock sounds.

“Tetsurou, Kenma is here.” His mothers voice sounds from the other side. 

“You can send him up.” He calls out, with an okay his mother leaves. Kuro finishes setting out the futon then you sit on it as he goes to his bed, Kenma knocks then opens the door to peek in. Seeing you sitting on the futon, he stills then turns his gaze to Kuro. “You can come in yanno, she ain’t gonna bite.” Rolling your eyes at his words, you look down at the damaged phone in your hand. The two boys watch you for a moment before Kenma sits down beside the futon and the small table that separates your bed from Kuro’s.

“I brought you some homework that Yaku gave me at practice.” Kenma says as he digs through his bag before setting it on the table. Kuro mutters a thank you before picking up the folder then looking through the papers and notes. As he does this, Kenma turns his attention to you. You feel the gaze on you again then stifled a groan before lifting your gaze to meet the silent boy's gaze.

“What the hell is with people just staring at me?” You mutter with a bit of a bite to the words, this makes Kenma quickly look away and Kuro laughs under his breath. Running fingers through your hair, you huff as it falls over your eyes then move to tuck it behind your ear, “I don’t suppose we could go somewhere so I can get my haircut tomorrow?” You speak out loud as you think of getting it cut again. 

“My mom can cut it if you want.” Kenma says quietly though he doesn’t look up from the handheld console he suddenly had in his hand; Kuro hums in agreement. 

“Alright, then I guess that’ll be another stop after practice tomorrow.” Kuro says as he has a text book out while doing the homework. The next few hours go by both slow and fast, Kuro gave you a book that you were able to read which was a surprise. But then again whatever happened when Kuro first touched you, that white light made it so you could understand what people were saying so it only goes that it allows you to read as well. Kuro sees Kenma off then returns to the room; you were curled up under the blanket on the futon, back to the room as you were already asleep. The boy smiles softly then turns the light off and closes the door before crawling into his bed. 

You dream of home, your mom, brother and friends. The dreams were more like memories but they made you happy. Smiling in your sleep, you nuzzle into the pillow as you sigh and slip deeper into sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

The next few days went by fairly quickly, Mika helped you to get some paperwork done so you could get your ID, enroll in school, and be put under their care. Since you had come from a different universe and had found your soulmate, there was a lot more paperwork than usual to do but once it was done, it was done. It was the weekend after you arrived that Kuro was finally able to take you out to go shopping; he took you to one of the malls. You also learned that they had just started their third year of high school a week before you appeared here, so you weren’t that far behind in school work. Though you did have to work extra hard to understand what they were being taught as it was harder then what you were used to learning. 

Luckily his mom had given you both an allowance so you could get some clothes and anything else you might need. Everything had been so busy that he wasn’t able to take you out until today; so you were stuck wearing his clothes for a week. Rolling the sleeves of the oversized sweater up to your elbows, you lean back on the seat of the train, “So Monday I finally start school, huh.” You say this mostly to yourself but Kuro gives an affirmative grunt as he scrolls through his phone. He was standing in front of you as he held onto one of the hoops that was hanging from the ceiling. Looking up at the male, you playfully kick his shin, “Oi, rooster head.” This makes him look up with a raised eyebrow. 

“Where did you hear that name?” He asks with a smirk. 

“Nowhere, your hair just reminds me of a rooster.” You stick your tongue at him then look around, “So where exactly are we going anyways?”

“To the mall. I told you this already.” He says with a huff then reaches down to ruffle your hair. Swatting his hand away you turn to look out the window, pulling one knee up under your chin so you are sitting with your side against the back of the seat. Watching the world pass by the window you let your eyes fall half closed then start to hum softly. Kuro looks up from his phone to you when he hears you humming, this puts a small smile on his face; after a few more stops the automated voice says the stop where the two of you need to get off. Kuro taps your shoulder, so you stand then follow him out then up the stairs to the street. “So, what kind of clothes do you want to get?” He asks as the two of you cross the street then through the main entrance to the mall. 

You glance at him then look around the shops, pursuing your lips in thought as a store catches your eye. Grabbing the end of his sleeve you drag the boy behind you into it, “This seems like it would have a binder. Because I definitely need a new one of those. Maybe two just to be safe.” Seeing some near the back, you hurry towards them then look through the sizes and luckily find two of the right size for you. Kuro watches you from a few feet away with a slight frown but it’s gone has quick as it came and he smiles at you, when you turn to face him.

“Find what you were looking for?” He asks then puts an arm around your shoulders, you give a small nod then step out from under his arm to continue looking around the store finding a few more things such as a hoodie, two pairs of sweatpants and a couple of t-shirts. Once you are done there, you continue to look around before finding a store to get some bathroom necessities as well as more under clothes. Kuro sits on a bench outside while waiting for you as he texts with his step mom. You learned around two days ago that Mika was Kuro’s step mom, his birth mother had passed away when he was a child, and that was why he lives here now. Standing inside the store with a bag in hand, you stare at the raven haired boy; a few days after you arrived Mika helped you to find a counselor and took you to a doctor to see about getting the medication you needed, she also had asked you how long you had been taking the medicine. You only started it around a year ago but for some reason the effects were slow, or your body just hates you. Frowning at the thought, you look around then sigh and run fingers through your hair. Ever since coming here your mind has been all over the place, you liked how you looked one moment then the next you were popping a pill. Taking the small vial out of your pocket, you look at it with a glare then shove it back into the pocket with an annoyed huff. 

Once this weekend was over you would be starting school with him; and your first appointment with the counselor was this coming Wednesday. Taking a breath, you give a wave and say thank you to the clerk again then step out of the store. You wanted to get moving so your brain wouldn’t wander off in a direction you weren’t ready for now; save those thoughts for talking with a professional was what you told yourself. Standing in front of Kuro, you watch him then flick his forehead to get his attention. 

“Hey, what was that for?” He huffs, rubbing the sore spot and looks up at you. Smirking a bit you just shrug then turn to walk away; you hear the boy huff before him as he catches up with you. “Ma wants us to stop by another store to get you some binders and things for class. She also told me we need to stop by the school to pick up your uniform.” Humming you wander into a store that sells school supplies, after getting a few notebooks, a couple of binders, pens and pencils and whatever else you think you’ll need plus a new backpack the two of you decide to grab something for a midafternoon snack before heading home. 

Back home you sit on the futon sorting through everything, folding the clothes after they’ve been washed, you put them in a pile beside your bed. Kuro is sitting on his bed, scrolling through his phone though he does glance up every so often to look at you. A knock on the door has you both turning to see who it is, Mika pokes her head in, “Sam, the uniform is ready if you want to try it on.” She says, you nod then get up to follow her out. Taking the uniform from her, you go into the bathroom to change then look down to see it has a skirt instead of pants. Frowning at this you pull your sweatpants back on then walk out, holding up the skirt. 

“I though we asked them for pants.” You say as a frown stays on your face. Mika sees this then sighs as she takes the skirt. 

“I did tell them that,” she says then turns to Kuro, “Do you have an extra pair that will fit them until I can get them their own pair from the school.” The fact that Mika uses your preferred pronouns makes you happy, and also reminds you of your own mother again. Stepping back into the bathroom you quickly change out of the shirt and blazer before pulling on the red t-shirt you were wearing earlier back on. Folding up the clothes nicely you walk back to Kuro’s room to find a hanger for the uniform, once you do you hang that up then sit down to organize the school supplies again. With your attention on packing your backpack, you don’t notice Kuro return until something turns your vision dark. Jumping at this, you quickly pull the thing off your head. 

“Those should fit you. They’re my old ones, so hopefully they fit for now.” He says then leaves the room again. Looking at the pants, you hum a bit then go to hang them up with the rest of the uniform.

During supper later that night, you talk with granny and grandad about somethings when they ask more questions of where you come from. Kuro eats in silence, though he does answer or speak when someone says something to him. Mika tells you that she’ll have the pants exchanged tomorrow so you’ll have your full uniform by the second day of classes. Smiling in thanks, you soon finish up as does everyone then you gather up the dishes to clean them. 

The next morning you’re jolted awake when Kuro’s alarm goes off. Groaning you put the pillow over your head until the sound of blankets rustling lets you know that the boy is awake. Sitting up yourself, you stretch then rub the sleep out of your eyes, “Why are we up so damn early?” You ask when you see the sun isn’t even up yet. 

“Morning practice. So come on, get up and ready. We leave in ten minutes.” With that he leaves the room to get ready. Flipping the male off you drag yourself out of bed then change into your uniform, the pants were a little bigger but you find your belt and use that to keep it up. Nodding, you then put the binder one wincing a bit since it was still tight from being just bought. After adjusting till you were comfy you then button up your shirt and then the blazer. Standing in front of the mirror you finish by putting on the tie.

“Uniforms are weird.” Wrinkling your nose as you loosen the tie a bit, “Feels like I’m wearing a damn monkey suit.” Kuro comes into the room when you say this and he just chuckles. 

“Monkey suit? Really, be glad these aren’t like those stuck up private school ones. Least we have a bit of freedom with ours.” As he says this you notice he has a sweater vest, he tosses something to you, “Ma forgot to give this to you last night.” Holding up the clothing you see it’s a sweater vest. Groaning at this you shrug off the blazer then pull the vest on and put the blazer back on. 

“Too many layers!” You huff then comb fingers through your hair, “Think Kenma’s offer still stands to have his mom or grandma cut my hair?” Tying it back into the small ponytail so it stays out of your face you look at Kuro’s reflection. “Also if you have morning practice why are you dressed for school?” Grabbing your backpack you follow the boy out then slip on your shoes as the two of you leave. By now the first few rays of light start to brighten up the sky. 

“Habit I guess.” As he says, the rest of the walk is quiet. Kenma joins us when we leave the gate and heads towards the school. Over the short time you’ve been here, you’ve gotten to know Kenma better as well and the two of you were friends or at least you thought you were. Walking a few steps behind the two of them as they banter, Kuro laughing as he picks on the other boy who has his head stuck in his phone. Taking out your own you turn it on to see the lock screen, it was a photo of your friends back in your world; lucky enough the people at the electronics store were able to salvage the old memory from your old phone then put it on this one. 

“Sam!” Jumping at the sudden voice, you look up to see Kuro and Kenma waiting outside the school gates for you. Shoving phone into your pocket you run to catch up, Kuro raises an eyebrow as Kenam then continues into the school towards the gym. “Classes start in about two hours, so you can either come with us to practice or find somewhere to rest more if you want.” He says as the three of you near the gym, inside you hear muffled voices as well as squeaks from sneakers letting you know someone is here already. “Hmm, seems Lev and Yaku are already here.”

“Might as well watch you practice.” You say then cover a yawn, Kuro looks at you then frowns but nods. Kenma opens the door then heads over to the locker room followed by Kuro. You wander over to a corner to sit down then take out your phone to scroll through old pictures. After a few more minutes pass the doors open again as a crowd of boys wanders in then head to the locker rooms as well; you glance up to watch them before turning your attention back to the game on the phone. As the boys all come back the gym doors open again as an elderly man and a younger one walk in. Glancing up you notice Kuro giving you a smile before nodding his head towards the two men who just entered; getting up you follow Kuro over to them, at this point the group of boys notice that you’re there. 

“Coach,” Kuro says as he stands beside you, “This is Sam, I was wondering if it’s okay if they stay for practice today?” The coach looks at Kuro then at you before giving a small nod. 

“Of course,” the man holds his hand out to you, you reach out to shake it, “I’m Nekomata Yasufumi and this is Manabu Naoi. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sam.” Smiling at the two men you then incline your head before returning to the corner where you were. Kuro talks with them for a bit then turns back to the team. 

He notices that they were all watching you, this just makes him sigh, “Oi! Wake up, time to start practice. Warm up for five minutes then run 20 laps!” He barks out before going over to start warming up as well. Putting on your headphones, you decide to listen to music as you lift your head to watch the practice going on. As you watch you notice how in tune with each other the guys are, how smoothly they run their combos; you haven’t seen much volleyball but this was definitely different from how your old schools team played or any other team you’ve seen in person for that matter. You catch a few of the guys looking at you until Kuro yells at them to pay attention, at one point the tall guy with silver hair gets hit in the face from a spike, this makes you burst out laughing. Clamping hands over your mouth, you stare wide eyed at the guys when they all turn to you. Coughing to cover the laugh you take out a textbook then start to read it; Kuro just chuckles then with an order they start practice again.

Taking out a notebook that you have for things that aren’t school work you write up some lyrics and hum softly under your breath. Tapping out the beat with the pen then writing down the cords for a guitar. And like always you get lost in making a new song, a shadow falling over you pulls you from your thoughts. Pushing the headphones down you look up to see Kuro standing there, changed from his practice clothes back into the school uniform, “Practice is over. Come on, we need to stop by the office to get you your schedule and hand in the last bit of paperwork.” He offers his hand to you which you take after packing everything into your bag again. 

As you both get to the gym doors someone coughs behind the two of you, making you both turn to see who it was. The team was standing there all of them ready for class and a ginger haired boy was the one you had coughed. Tilting head a bit you turn to fully face them, “Yes?”

“Kuro, aren’t you going to introduce us to the new guy?” Ginger asks as his eyes glance at you before turning back to Kuro. The taller boy just sighs and puts a hand on your head. 

“This is Sam, as of today they’ll be joining our school.” With that he turns, grabs your wrist then drags you out of the gym towards the school. By now the rest of the students were making their way in which gave the background lots of voices mingling together. Stumbling a bit you hurry your steps to keep up with Kuro. 

“Who was the ginger?” You ask after getting your class schedule from the office. Looking at it, you frown a bit then stop outside the third year classrooms; Kuro looks at you with an unreadable expression, this makes you frown when you look up at him. 

“That was Yaku, he’s the liberio for the team as well as my classmate.” He jerks his head towards the door, the sign above it reads class 3-4, “You’ll be in the same class as the vice captain, Nobuyuki Kai.” He points to a boy near the back of the class that had a buzz cut, “I have to get going, the bell is about to ring.” Kuro turns to walk down the hallways a bit before heading into a classroom with the numbers 3-5 above it. Frowning a bit, you wonder why he seems so withdrawn this morning. With a sigh you walk into the classroom then stop as all eyes turn to you; finding an empty seat you sit down. The seat happened to be right in front of Kai’s; taking out your spare notebook you resume writing down the lyrics that were running around in your head. When the bell rings the teacher walks in, she introduces herself then turns to you. 

“Miss Asami, if you want can you introduce yourself to the class.” Feeling your cheeks heating up at the attention everyone was giving you, you sigh then stand up. Keeping eyes on the board to help keep your breath steady, you speak.

“My name is Asami Sam, I just moved to town not that long ago. I hope to make friends and look forward to getting to know and work alongside everyone for our final year of high school.” You say this in a rush then sit back down, ducking your head as you focus on your notes. The morning goes by slowly as you have math, english and science; two of those subjects were not your strong suit and the fact they learned harder stuff here made it worse. By the time lunch rolls around you wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, making your way to the cafeteria you spot Kuro with some of his friends but decide to just grab something then go outside to sit under a tree. Leaning back against the tree you watch as white fluffy clouds float by, taking a bite of the bbq pork steamed bun you bought, you listen to an old song, humming softly along with it. 

Once you are done eating you pick up the notebook to start writing in it again, the headphones now laying around your neck with the music loud enough for you to hear it. Singing the lyrics to the beat, you nod and alter some of the cords on the paper when suddenly the paper is snatched off your lap. Glaring up at the person you see it was a couple of kids from your class, “Ohho, what’s this. Some sort of sappy love song.” Getting up you reach for the notebook only to be shoved back into the tree, an arm against your neck to keep you there. 

“Give it back.” You growl out as your eyes darken with anger, shoving the one holding you off you lunge at the one with the notebook. After dancing around trying to get it back you finally manage to get it only for the wind to be knocked out of you with a kick, “The fuck do you assholes want anyways?” Teeth clenched as you drag air into your lunges; the duo glare at you but each aim another hit that you easily jump out of the way off. Rolling up the notebook you shove it into your pocket then turn to walk away, not wanting to get into trouble on the first day. 

“Oh look, the he-she is running away already.” Stiffening up at the jeer as a cold shiver goes through you. Eyes wide as you wonder how the hell they knew about this; turning to the two, your eyes seemed to get darker as well as the look on your face. Without thinking your body moves on its own, when you come to you’re panting and shaking as an arm is pulling you away from the two boys, who are now on the ground; both of them nearly unconscious. Once out of sight of the two guys you are shoved against the wall as a hand slams into it beside your head. Glancing up you catch the deadly look in Kuro’s eyes.

“The hell do you think you’re doing?” His voice was eerily calm the complete opposite to the look in his eyes. Averting yours from his intense gaze, your shoulders hunch as you look away. 

“They said some shit that pissed me off.” Was all you mutter; Kuro just groans as his head falls forward before he steps back to give you space. 

“You need to be careful, it’s your first day here.” Clenching hands at your sides, you bite down the words that were threatening to spill. Words that you knew you would regret if you ever spoke them. “Just be glad I saw what was happening before anyone else. Though you should go clean up your face, you have some blood on your lip.” With that he turns to leave you alone; watching him go, you let out a frustrated noise before sinking down to the ground with your back still against the wall. 

“The fuck is going on today?” You grumble to yourself, fingers messing up your hair in frustration, a voice beside you makes you jump. Glancing up you see Kai standing there with a worried look on his face, “I’m fine. Got in a little scuffle.” You say as you stand up, “I’ll meet you back in class. If the teacher asks I have to go to the nurses office.” Walking away from him, you shove your hands into your pockets then go get the blood cleaned up before stopping by the nurses office to get her to check out the bruises. By the time all that was done the bell for class rang so you headed to class. 

Once the day was over you gathered your things then went to the front entrance hoping to head home only to have Kenma come find you after you were left waiting for Kuro for a good ten minutes after most of the students left, “We have practice today.” The soft spoken boy says then leads you towards the gym. Rolling your eyes, you decide to sit outside the gym doors to do some homework. Rereading a math question for the upteenth time you throw hands up in defeat then put everything away and decide to work on the new song that’s been playing in your head all day. As the sun begins to set, you hear the team as they leave the gym; glancing up you put your things away then stand as Kuro walks out last. When he spots you, he grins then nods towards the gate so you follow after them, “We’re gonna stop by the corner store for some food. Do you want anything?” Shaking your head, you put the headphones on to listen to your music, effectively ignoring the group as you walk a few paces behind them. 

Kuro sees this then grits his teeth but smirks anyways, standing outside the store you scroll through the playlist when you feel a tap on your shoulder. Pushing the headphones down, you turn to the person to see Yaku standing there holding a sandwich out to you. “Kuro told me to give this to you.” Taking the sandwich, you nod a tiny bit then take a bite. “So, what exactly are you to Kuro? And why have none of us ever heard of you before today.” The ginger haired boy asks, though there was no malice in his voice, just plain as day curiosity.

“Kuro will tell you if he wants you to know. That’s all I can say about it.” Nibbling on the sandwich you look through the window into the store as Kuro messes around with Kenma and a few of the other guys, “As for how I got here… That’s a long story I don’t want to get into right now, Yaku-san.” Yaku just looks at you with a frown but nods. 

“Alright.” As soon as those words leave his lips the guys join us outside. Everyone splits off to head home, you turn to follow after Kuro and Kenma. The taller of the boys talks about whatever comes to mind while the smaller one who has his face stuck in a game just nods or hums to show he was listening; you watch them for a few moments until stopping in your tracks. Clenching your teeth, you turn on your heel before walking back the way you came; not sure what the hell was going on with you, you suddenly start to run as tears begin to run down your cheeks. In the distance you hear someone yelling your name but you ignore it. As you continue running you end up passing Lev, Yaku and Kai. 

“Sam?” Kai says then looks back to see Kuro and Kenma running towards them as well. “Kuro, Kenma, what’s going on?” The two boys stop long enough to tell them before they all start to run after you only to stop when you are out of sight. 

“Shit. Can you help us find her? She doesn’t know this place at all.” Kuro says completely forgetting the pronouns as he was worried. The guys notice this but say nothing, only nod before they all split off from the last place you were seen.

Your feet carried you to the park you woke up in. Finding a swing, you sit down then stare at the ground as the tears fall; clenching a hand against your chest, you take deep breaths to fight off the sudden panic attack. “Fuck, my head is so fucked up. I hate it.” You grit out then laugh humorlessly at yourself before looking up at the night time sky, “A minor thing making me remember my friends. I’ll never fucking see them again, so why do I keep thinking about them.” Getting up you throw your backpack to the ground then start to stomp on it, taking out your frustration before your legs give out. “I wanna go home… I just wanna go home....” The sound of footsteps pulls you out of your thoughts, and looking up you see Yaku standing there, breathing heavily as if he was just running. “Yaku-san?”

“Found you. Geez, what the hell did you run off for. We’ve been looking for you for over an hour.” Was all he said then helps you to put your things back into the bag, helping you up he grips your wrist then leads you back towards the store. Both your backpacks over his shoulder as he texts Kuro to meet the two of you there. “Sam, I know we only met today but if you ever need someone to talk to. You can talk to me or any of the guys for that matter. We want to make you feel welcome.” Yaku says to you after the two of you walk in silence for a while. 

Rounding the corner you see the store in the distance with four figures standing around. Getting close, Yaku drops your wrist expecting you to follow along behind him; shoving hands into your pockets you keep your gaze on the ground. Kuro sees you then opens his mouth to say something but Yaku gives him a glare that shuts him up; he then hands Kuro your bag. 

“Tch, come on. Let’s get home. We’re already late as it is.” Kuro then turns to leave again, Kenma waits for you then walks alongside as the three of you head home. Once home you go into Kuro’s room but notice the futon was put away; frowning at this, you turn to see Mika standing outside the door. 

“Your room is ready so you don’t have to sleep in here anymore.” She gives you a soft smile which you return then follow her down the hallway to your new room. Thanking her, you close the door then drop your bag before sitting on the bed. Looking at the blank walls, you sigh then lay back on the bed putting an arm over your eyes. A knock sounds at the door, you mutter for them to come in but don’t move at all.

“Hey,” Kuro’s voice is soft as he shuts the door behind him, beside you the bed sinks as he sits down on the edge of it, “Why did you run back there?” He asks as he sits there, looking at you. Not moving your arm, you give a half shrug for an answer. This irks him because the next thing you know your arm is moved from over your eyes as the boy hovers above you, “God Dammit Sam, talk to me. You’ve been distant these past few days and I don’t know why. You have this distant look in your eyes that is sad, and it… it hurts me to see you sad…” His voice trails off though you remain silent as he looks down at you. Sighing he moves to stand then heads to the door. You just stare up at the ceiling trying to figure out what to say to him. 

“I miss my mom, my friends. Home. And… I… I don’t know. Everything is starting to sink in that I’ll probably never see them again,” you sniff feeling tears threatening to fall but force them back, “It fucking hurts thinking about it. They’re no doubt worried sick since I just disappeared out of the blue, hell for all I know being sent here, whoever or whatever did could’ve easily erased their memories of me.” Pressing the heels of your hands against your eyes hard enough to see stars, jaw clenching as the tears begin to fall and soft sobs escape you. “I-I know t-these are irrational f-fears. But if i-it's true… then I’m l-left alone to suffer with these m-memories, but I-I’ll never know.” 

Taking a deep breath to calm yourself enough to speak, you continue, “Then today, t-those fuckers from my class called me a he-she and I saw red… That’s why I was fighting with them.” Rubbing eyes, you sit up, eyes downcast now that the tears have somewhat stopped, “I’m sorry… All I’ve done is cause trouble.” The bed dips again as Kuro sits beside you, his hand resting on the back of your head as he pulls you against his chest and wraps his arms tight around you.

“You don’t need to be sorry. I was worried all day how you were going to settle in at school, or how you would react around meeting the guys today. Then running off tonight… I was scared all over again, scared that something would happen like when Oikawa found you.” He says, chin resting on top of your head, “I’m sorry about everything too. Me being distant probably didn’t help anything, hell, I don’t even know why I was.” After he says that its quiet for a few moments until he speaks up again, “You know you can talk to me about anything. Yaku told me he said the same thing to you.” He chuckles a bit, which has you pulling back and frowning up at him. 

“What’s so funny now, rooster head?” You ask then rub eyes again as they feel heavy from crying. 

“The reason I didn’t come check on you right away was because Yaku called and talked my ear off about how I acted towards you today. He also demanded I tell him what exactly you are to me, so I did. Which I think cleared up some things that he was questioning.” Kuro’s cheeks are tinted pink as he looks away, “I hope that it was okay for me to tell him that you’re my soulmate. He promised not to say anything to anyone else until we were both ready to.” This makes you giggle, yes, you giggled then full on started laughing after a few moments. Wrapping arms around your stomach, you wipe the tears from your eyes again then smile up at the boy. 

“I told him that if he wanted to know, he’d have to talk to you about it. Yaku-san is a good person, he also scolded me on the way back to the store after he found me. Told me not to keep things bottled up and I could talk with him if I ever needed someone to vent to.” Kuro looks at you, then smirks before leaning in to place a soft kiss on your cheek.

“Well now that that’s all settled. Promise me that you’ll come to me whenever those thoughts start to wrack your brain.” You nod at his words then look down again, “How are you feeling now?” His voice is softer, barely above a whisper as the mood seems to dampen again.

“I feel a little better. Still sad but that’s to be expected. Hopefully I’ll start getting better again once I start my appointments with the counselor.” You say, then jump as Mika’s voice drifts through the door letting you know supper was ready. Kuro gets up then offers his hand to you, you take it then stand as well, “I’ll be down in a bit. Gonna change out of my uniform so it can be washed.” Kuro nods then leaves you alone to change. Setting your phone on the charger, you strip off the school uniform and toss it into the laundry basket before grabbing a red t-shirt that had an angry t-rex on the front and a pair of black jogging pants, you then go to put the uniform in the washer with whatever else was in there to begin the load. Washing your hands, you then go down to join everyone for dinner.


	5. Chapter 5

The next few weeks things go smoothly, you get to know the volleyball team more. Yaku and Kai become two of your closest friends, Kuro seems to relax a bit more as he watches you settling into your new life here. There were a few more incidents with some bullies but after a fight one day the teachers catch you, giving the three of you detention for a week; Kuro just laughs at this when he finds out, Yaku scolds you like a mother to their child, making you feel like a child of course. 

“So we have a practice match this weekend against Karasuno,” Yaku tells you as the two of you head down to the cafeteria one day. Humming in response to this, he glances at you, “It’ll be fun. Been a while since we had a match with the crows.” Glancing at him, you raise an eyebrow in question. “Long story short, our coach and their old coach are rivals, we haven’t played an official match against them in a long time because over the last few years their team wasn’t the greatest. But over the last few weeks we’ve heard they have gotten a lot better. So we’re having a practice match.” You nod then look ahead to see what was out for food today. Buying a bbq pork bun again and a bottle of water; you wait for Yaku before heading over to the table where Lev, Kenma, Kai, Kuro and a few other of the team members were sitting.

“Kaiii, you left me behind. That was mean.” You pout at the male who just laughs before sliding a pudding cup across the table to you as an apology. Smirking at this, you open it to eat, “Apology accepted.” Everyone laughs at this, Kuro smirks and shakes his head. 

“So easily won over food. I’ll have to keep that in mind.” Kuro then wiggles his eyebrows at you, which makes you choke on the food. Opening up the bottle of water you chug it down then hit the raven haired male over the head with the empty bottle. 

“Shut up, you damn rooster head!” Your cheeks were a deep red but you were laughing as was everyone else. By now they all knew about the soulmate thing as Kuro and you decided it was best to let them know; after much thinking on your part, you decided you trusted them enough to let them know but they also promised to keep it a secret as per your counselor’s orders. Speaking of that, you were still taking the testosterone but in smaller doses figuring that you didn’t want to transition anymore, but you still wanted to take the pills to keep your chemicals balanced if you ever did decide to transition. You still weren’t comfortable in your body, and the guys respected the fact you preferred to use the ‘they’ and ‘them’ pronouns, though sometimes they did slip up which was fine with you. Hell the guys even used ‘he’ or ‘him’ at times as well, which didn’t bother you as you figured it’s best to stick to being non-binary which was your original plan all along, it just took time to actually figure that out. 

“So, the game is this Saturday afternoon. We’re gonna practice a bit in the morning then go for lunch before Karasuno shows up.” Kuro says after fending off the bottle and taking it away from you. You pinch his cheek and he puffs them out to get you to let go, laughing at this you then settle down to eat the rest of your lunch. “That sound good to you guys?” He asks, turning to face the table. A chorus of yes, yeah and sure’s are the response which has the raven head nodding. “Good.”

“Kai, do you have notes from the first period? I slept though most of it again.” You laugh, rubbing the back of your head, Kai takes out a notebook then hands you a second copy he made, “Thanks.”

“No problem. We also have a test tomorrow on what’s written down, so best to study that tonight as soon as you get home.” He tells you, taking out a pen to make stars beside the notes that would be on the test tomorrow. Groaning at this, you slam your forehead on the table.

“Fuck tests, Fuck it all.” You giggle then rest your chin on the table to look at the notes. Kai pokes your forehead with the end of the pen.

“It can’t be that bad. You’re starting to understand things easier this last week, which I’m proud of.” You smile big at this, Kai has been tutoring you when he isn’t busy with his own life or volleyball practice. “And if you pass the exam this Friday, I’ll take you out for ice cream.” At the mention of ice cream, you sit up then pump both fists into the air. 

“I’ll pass with flying colors!” Kai and Kuro laugh at this; Kuro pulls you into his side and ruffles your hair. 

“You better, chibi-chan.” He says then leans in close to your ear, whispering loud enough for only you to hear, “Or else you’ll be in trouble.” Face going bright red at this, you shove Kuro away from you then flip him off and go back to eating. After that lunch flies by, and you find yourself in gym class. Sighing softly you tie your hair back, still not having had it cut and not wanting to now, though you do need to dye it again soon. 

“Have you figured out your extracurricular yet?” Kai asks as the two of you run laps around the gym. 

“Not sure, maybe baseball or soccer since I played those a lot back at my old school.” You say then duck as a ball flies over your head. Someone yells sorry and you wave it off before starting to do some stretches. 

“Why don’t you become the manager of the volleyball team? We could use it. Plus then I can focus more on the games.” He says as he straightens up, glancing at him, you raise an eyebrow. 

“In all honesty I’ve been thinking about that too, but I’d like to be able to play something.” ‘Though if I do become the manager for the volleyball team, I can focus on my music still’ thinking the last part, you smile then stand up. “I’ll do it!” Kai looks at you then smiles before giving you a fist bump.

“Sweet, we’ll talk to the coach today at practice.” Since you’ve been spending so much time hanging out with the team, you learned a lot about volleyball and even learned some of the combos they did; it was a fun sport, but you didn’t really like it, so becoming the manager was the next best thing.

Following Kai to the gym, the two of you talk about the upcoming exam or test that is going to be worth 30% of your final grade. He explains some things that are the paper that you don’t understand, you write down little notes to look at when you get home tonight. The two of you were the first ones to arrive, so you put your bags down then go to help Kai get everything set up after he changes. He shows you some of the managers duties and once the net was set up, the two of you sit down with an empty notebook as Kai writes down a list of to-do things for you; as he does the others start to trickle in, “Afternoon!” You wave to them then turn back to Kai as he explains the notes to you.

“What are you two doing?” Kuro says, resting both his hands on your shoulders as he leans down to look at the notebook, upon seeing the notes his smirk widens, “Oya oya, chibi-chan so this is what you’re planning.”

“Yup,” you say taking the notebook from Kai as he gets up to go do some stretches with the guys, “I figured since this is our last year of high school and the fact I need an extracurricular, this is the best course of action. Kai can focus on practice and games more while I worry about the manager duties. And I can better focus on finding the first year replacement for next year.” At the mention of this being your last year, a sad looks comes across your face as the thought of not being able to graduate with the people you grew up with. Kuro sees this then reaches out to put a finger under your chin and tilts your head back so you had to look him in the eyes. 

“Hey, don’t be thinking about that right now.” He says, voice soft as he says this pulling you out of the thoughts that were fleeting around inside your head, “We still have a year left. We’ll make new memories and take plenty of pictures that fill up the walls of the entire house.” He throws his arms out to the sides and laughs, this makes the dark cloud above your head evaporate and you laugh to.

“Thank you, Tetsurou.” Kuro’s cheeks turn a light pink at the use of his first name, you’ve taken to using his first name when you were in a good mood so since you did it made him even happier. Ruffling your hair, the two of you then turn to face the coaches as they make their presence known. Catching Kai’s gaze, you both nod then go over to talk with them while Kuro gets the others to gather around. 

“So, Sam you’re going to become the team manager for the remainder of the school year?” Neokmata asks, turning to face you. You nod at this then stand a little straight, he sees this then smiles before reaching out to pat you on the shoulder, “Well, welcome to the team.” He says with a laugh, this makes your smile widen as you look at him. “Everyone gather around!” Moving to stand beside the older man, you hold the notebook at your side as he explains to everyone that from today on you’ll be the team manager; the news is followed by cheers and yays. Once that is done, he goes on to explain some formations and combos the team will work on for this weekends practice match; you move over to stand beside the team and write down notes as the coach explains things. After that they begin practice, you sit with your back against the wall, watching and writing down little notes on each of the players. 

On the walk home, Kai and Yaku join us so we could all work on some homework together. Humming a tune under my breath as I look up at the darkening sky someone taps my shoulder, looking over to Yaku, you tilt your head, “What’s up?”

“Is that a new song you’re working on?” He asks as you fall into step beside him, the other three walking a few paces ahead. The guys knew you wrote songs and played a few instruments but they have yet to actually hear you sing; Kuro brags about being the only one to hear your angelic voice, and that usually results in you throwing something at his head in embarrassment. 

“Yeah, I need to come up with an original song for a project that is due in a week.” Taking out a small notepad from your pocket, you look at the notes then the lyrics before slipping it back into your pocket. 

“Oh, how is that going?” You shrug as an answer then smile a bit. 

“It’s going. Writing new songs usually takes a lot longer then we were given, but I’ll do my best not to fail this and get a perfect score.” Walking into the house, all of you greet Kuro’s parents and grandparents before heading up to his room. Running to yours real quick you change into comfy clothes then join the guys in Kuro’s room. Sitting with your legs folded on his bed, you set a notebook on your lap along with a text book beside you. Kai sits on the floor right in front of you so the two of you could work together. Kuro helps Kenma and Yaku with some science problems; the studying goes on for an hour before a knock sounds at the door. 

Mika pokes her head in with a smile, “I have some snacks and drinks if anyone wants anything.” Everyone says thank you, so you get up to go help Mika carry them up from the kitchen. Smiling at the lady you set the drinks and snacks on the small table before closing the door and settling back down to work. After another hour of studying you groan, dropping the note and text book on the floor in favour of sprawling out on Kuro’s bed. 

“Finally. Now just to pass the tests.” Kai chuckles softly then hands you one of the drinks when you make a grabby hand for one. Kuro, Kenma and Yaku had turned on Kuro’s tv to play some sort of fighter video game. Taking a sip of the juice, you scoot down to the foot of the bed before getting up to leave the room, when you come back you have your guitar. Settling back on the bed with your back against the wall, you strum a few cords and hum the lyrics under your breath. The boys were invested in the game until Kenma looks over when he hears you strum the guitar. Kuro, Yaku and Kai all turn their attention to you as well. Not really noticing them looking at you, you continue to sing softly and play the cords of the song you’ve been working on. 

It takes you a few minutes to notice that the room was silent, save for the sound of menu music from the game. Looking up, you stiffen as your face turns a bright red when all four of the guys are looking at you, “W-What the hell are you all staring at?” You manage to stutter out, eyes averting back to your lyric’s notebook.

“Your voice…” Yaku starts then jumps up to tackle you, letting out a loud yelp throwing the guitar off so he doesn’t break it before he tackles you then shakes your shoulders. “Your voice is amazing!” He looks at Kuro, eyes wide, “I know you said she could si-.” he stops himself then frowns, “I know you said they could sing, but this… they’re better than I imagined!” Kenma chuckles a tiny bit, Kai just out right laughs; Kuro on the other hand pretends to be angry as he grabs the collar of Yaku’s shirt to lift him off of you.

“Are you hitting on my love?” He asks, Yaku’s eyes go wide as he flails his arms but Kuro just drops him and laughs. You sit up, fixing your shirt as you look at the four of them then run a hand over your face. 

“Goddammit you guys.” You giggle then pick up the discarded guitar to make sure it wasn’t broken or anything.

“You should sing at the upcoming cultural festival.” Kenma says once the other three finally calmed down. Looking at the dual haired boy, head tilting a bit. 

“Maybe. The teacher asked me the same thing.” You purse your lips in thought, “I… Well… never mind.” Waving your hand, you pull the notebook onto your lap. The guys look at each other until Kuro gets up then goes to open his bedroom door.

“Alright, I think that’s enough for tonight. It’s late, Kai, you and Sam have a test in the morning so it’s best to get some rest now. And go over today’s practice notes that you got to prepare for this weekend's practice match.” Once the two of you see the three guys off, you head up to your room. Walking past Kuro’s he grabs your wrist, “You good?” He asks, you look at the floor then up at him and give a tiny smile.

“Yup, just remembered the last time I sang in front of a crowd and how I got here. So I guess, I’m good and not good at the same time.” Kuro pulls you against him and hugs tight, chin resting on top of your head. It takes you a moment but soon you wrap your arms around him, fingers bunching up the back of his shirt as you hold onto him. 

“Wanna cuddle and watch a movie?” The question makes you giggle, tilting your head back to look up at him, you give him a small smile, “No horror movies, I promise.” Laughing softly, you stand on your toes to peck him on the cheek. 

“Sounds like a date to me.” This makes the boy blush, but he opens his bedroom door for you to enter. Once inside he turns on the movie, then turns the lights out before cuddling with you in his bed. When you got into one of your moods, physical touch was something that helped to ground you, so the two of you would cuddle and watch a movie till you both fell asleep.

The next morning you go about your routine, then head to school and the first period is the small test. After that you had math, then english and finally it was lunch time. Resting chin on the table as the guys chat amongst themselves, you have your eyes closed as you hum softly when something cold touches your forehead. Opening an eye, you see Kai holding out a can of orange juice to you, “How’d you feel about the test this morning?” Sitting up, you pop open the can and take a drink as your eyes drift up towards the ceiling. 

“I felt fine. The questions weren’t as hard as they were before.” You say then smile at Kai who returns the smile. 

“Good, I know you’ll pass this with flying colors.” He holds up his drink for a cheer, you clink yours against his and the two of you laugh. 

“I should get mood stabilizers.” You say this mostly to yourself but Kuro catches it as he was turning to ask you something. Glancing up at him, you give him a big smile, “No worries. Just thinking out loud, Tetsu.” He huffs then smiles before ruffling your hair. 

“Whatever you say, Chibi-chan.” You swat his hand away then playfully pout at him while poking a finger against his cheek. 

“I am not tiny. I am average size. Not my fault you’re a goddamn giant.” You notice the glint in his eyes and yelp before bolting out of your seat and run out the doors into the courtyard with Kuro hot on your heels. Kenma glances up from his game with a sigh and shakes his head. 

“Those two are going to get in trouble.” Yaku laughs as he says this, watching the two of you outside. You dodged Kuro as the boy tries to grab you. Then getting an idea you climb up the tree before jumping onto the boy's back and ruffle his hair. 

“Rooster hair!” Laughing he rests his hands under your butt to keep you from falling off his back. Clinging to his back koala style, he carries you back inside then you slide off before sitting back down.

“I’ll be back in a bit.” He pats the top of your head before leaving the cafeteria. Turning back to the group, they all smile at you as you take a drink of your juice. 

“What?”

“You two are cute. That’s all.” Taketora says as he finishes off his food, blushing at his words, you throw a fry off Yaku’s plate at him.

“Shut it mohawk.” Sinking down in your seat, you pull the hood of your sweater up to hide your blush. The guys either laugh or chuckle at you before returning to their conversations; you take out your phone to scroll through social media to see what’s up today which isn’t much. Then a call notification pops up, jumping out of your seat you hurry outside pushing your hood down as you answer the call. “What’s up doc?” Leaning against the tree you climbed not that long ago, eyes staring up at the grey cloud filled sky as the doctor talks over somethings with you.

“Where’s Sam?” Kuro asks, sitting back down beside Yaku. The ginger haired boy points out the window at you. 

“She went out not that long ago when she got a call. Didn’t see who it was, so I can’t answer your next question.” The two guys watch as you hang up the phone with a laugh; returning to your seat, you peck Kuro on the cheek then finish off your orange juice. 

“Who was that?” Kuro asks as he puts his across the back of your chair. 

“My counselor, just checking in for a date for my next appointment. She had to leave early at the last one, and we both forgot to make a date for the next. Nothing too important.” Giggling a bit you stretch arms above your head as the bell rings signalling lunch is over. “What class do you have next?”

“English. You?” Kuro, Kai and Yaku walk with you as you all head up towards your classrooms. 

“We have a lab next.” Kai says, the word lab makes you groan then laugh. 

“I hate science. I need to take more music classes.” You mutter, Kuro frowns then shoves you playfully.

“Science is fun when you get the hang of it!” Giving him a playful glare, you stick tongue at him.

“Oh yeah, so says the science nerd.” Laughing as he pulls you close to ruffle your hair, you try to push his arm off. Once you pass the lab room, you wave as Kuro and Yaku continue on. “We have a free period after this right?”

“Yeah, wanna study for the big test in the library?” Kai asks as the two of you find your table then begin to set up. 

“Maybe, I might go to the music room if it's free to practice some more.” You give the boy a smile then turn to the teacher as they walk in. Class goes by slow but as soon as the bell rings you grab your bag then run out of the class. The teacher yells after you not to run; Kai just stands there dumbfounded as you bolt like a rat out of hell. Doding through people you make it to the music room then let out a breath to see that it was empty. Stepping inside you drop your bag on a chair then go find the guitar you’ve been using since you started here. Taking a notebook out of your bag, you set it on a chair then sit on a different one before starting to strum a few strings, singing softly to yourself. Getting lost in the music, you don’t notice anyone else enter until someone coughs to clear their throat. Looking up you see two guys and two girls standing there, “Oh um, hello. Sorry I didn’t hear you come in.”

“No worries,” a boy with spiky brown hair and a pair of headphones says as he smiles at you. Behind him a blonde boy with glasses goes over to the keyboard, a girl with long brown hair and the other girl with long white hair put three chairs in a circle around the keyboard. Watching them, you then turn back to the boy with the headphones. 

“If you guys need to practice I can leave.” You say getting up and going to put the guitar away but the white haired girl puts her hands up to stop you.

“Wait, we were actually wondering if you would play with us.” Her voice was soft, shaking slightly as though she were scared. Blinking a few times, it takes a moment for your brain to catch up but then you give her a smile.

“Sure. My name is Asami Sam, by the way. I’m in class 3-4.” Pulling your chair over to the group, they all smile at you. 

“My name is Aika,” the white hair girl says, then points to the brown haired girl, “That’s Chiyo,” then the brown haired boy, “Takeo, and finally the one with glasses is Nikko, we’re in classes 2-1 and 2-2.” You hum softly thinking to yourself as you watch the four of them get themselves ready for their little practice session. Settling on your chair with the guitar sitting between your feet. A tap on your shoulder pulls you from your wandering thoughts, “Do you know this song?” Aika asks as she hands you a piece of paper.

Taking it, you read over the lyrics and the cords before giving her a nod, “I do. Is this the one you’ll be playing today?” The girl nods as she sits back down. 

“Yup, I sing as does Chiyo here. Nikko plays the keyboard and Takeo plays drums. We’ve honestly been looking for someone to play guitar.” She says as her hands wring together, they all look at you waiting to see what you have to say to this information.

“How about we get to know each other more before I decide to be your guitarist.” You laugh softly as they eagerly nod and cheer. Smiling softly, Nikko starts to play the notes for the song, Takeo starts a beat on the drums and you start the cords for the guitar. Aiko and Chiyo start to sing when their time comes. Even though you just met these four you felt oddly at home with them, then again you all shared a love for music by the way things were going. 

As the final bell of the day rings, you help them to pack things away before giving a wave then heading out. Walking quickly through the halls, you get to the main entrance then switch out the slippers for your shoes and run over to the gym nearing running into Lev as he stops outside the gym doors. “Oi, come on.” You push the tall, silver haired boy into the gym with a laugh. 

“Someones in a good mood today.” He says, you hit him on the back then shove him to start stretching. 

“Go stretch, ya damn tree.” You mutter then leave to go change from your uniform into a pair of red gym pants with white lines down the sides, a black t-shirt and a black jacket that says Nekoma on the back. Back in the gym, you hold the notebook at your side as the coach explains some things that the boys need to work on. You look at each of them, watching how they all seem to stay hooked on every word the old man says. No matter how much time you spend with this group, it always amazes you how their love for the game is as strong as ever. Day after day, they always have this high level of energy in practice and even during practice matches.

After practice was over we all sit around in a circle, the guys doing their cool-down stretches while I went over notes that I took and let them know my thoughts on how things were running. As we all grab our things to leave, I stop Kenma, “Hey, think you can see if your grandma can cut my hair today?” You ask then hold up a strand of it, “It’s getting way too long for me.” Scrunching up your face, you hear the smaller boy chuckle softly.

“Sure, we can head over now.” Throwing arms up, you give a cheer which makes the boy laugh.

“I got a rare Kenma laugh!” You point at him with a big smile, he immediately scowls at you then turns away to begin walking. 

“I take it back. I’ll tell gran to fry your hair.” Blinking, you whine then run to catch up to him. 

“I’m sorry.” Pouting at the boy, he glances at you then smirks before patting you on the head. Huffing as you swat his hand away, the two of you walk in silence and that’s when you notice Kuro wasn’t with you. “Hey, where’s Tetsu?” Kenma glances at you then back the way you came from, noting that Kuro was nowhere in sight.

“Huh, odd. I saw him walk out of the gym.” Suddenly your phone dings, taking it out you see a message from Kuro. 

“He says to go on ahead, he had to stay back to talk with one of the teachers. Are teachers usually around this late?” You ask Kenma as you two continue on your way.

“Sometimes.” Was all that Kenma said before you two disappear outside the school gates.

But Kuro wasn’t seeing one of the teachers, no the boy finds himself behind the gym with one of the underclassmen. The girl stood a few steps away, “Sorry but I’m not interested.” He growls out as the girl seems to not be taking no for an answer; pushing past her, he heads back to the gym to see if anyone was still around and seeing no one he sighs before heading home. 

“I’m home, and Sam’s here too.” Kenma raises his voice enough for it to be heard in the kitchen. An elderly lady pokes her head out to give the both of you a smile.

“Oh, Sam-chan welcome!” the lady comes over to give you a hug which you return, “It’s good to see you again.” She pats your shoulder then returns to the kitchen. Kenma smiles lightly then heads up to his room, you follow behind him to put your bag down as he puts his notebooks on the desk.

“Mom should be home soon, so for now we can either play some video games or do homework.” He says as he sits on a chair at the desk.

“Video games sound fun. Been a while since I played any with you.” You laugh as he hands you the controller. 

“How about some of that Blockcraft?” He says already starting it up, smirking at this the two of you had a world you began building a while back and haven’t really had time to check it out in the last two weeks. An hour after you began playing you jump as someone sits behind you, their legs on either side of you and their chin resting on your shoulder as arms wrap around your waist. 

“Hey, Chibi-chan.” Kuro’s breath tickles your neck as he nuzzles into you, while his cat-like eyes watch the small tv screen of your character running up a mountain away from a spider, “Sorry it took me so long to catch up.” Giving a small shrug, you let yourself lean back against him.

“All good. You got busy.” Stabbing the spider with a sword, you start cursing at it then yelp before running away again this makes both Kuro and Kenma laugh. 

“Mom should be home now, we can go check to see if she’ll be wanting to give you a haircut.” Kenma says after saving the game and turning to the two of you. Kuro keeps his arms around your waist but you give Kenma a nod.

“Sounds good.” Tapping Kuro’s arm to let you up, he lets out an almost whine like sound before letting you go. Shaking head, you get up then follow Kenma downstairs to the kitchen, his mom is sitting at the table drinking a cup of coffee as she looks over some paperwork.

“Hey mom, think you’d be up to giving Sam a haircut?” The lady looks up at the three of you and gives a smile.

“Of course.” She gets up to go get her haircutting kit then motions for you to take a seat. Shrugging off your sweater you set it on a different chair then sit down as she puts one of those capes on so the hair doesn’t get stuck to your clothes. Kuro and Kenma decide to head back upstairs to talk.

Once Kenma closes his bedroom door, he turns to Kuro with arms folded over his chest and a scowl on his face, “Why did you ask me to lie to Sam?” Kuro frowns then shrugs slightly, eyes looking anywhere but at Kenma.

“I don’t know,” he starts then sighs before sitting down, “No, I do know. It’s because the girl that wanted to talk was someone I had a fling with before, and I’d rather not have Sam be dragged into that drama while she’s still adjusting to being here.”

“Sam is adjusting just fine if you can’t tell. And keeping things from them isn’t the best way to go about this, what happens if they find out from someone other than you about your past drama?” Kenma says, his voice raising only a tiny bit to show he was annoyed but not angry yet. Kuro just nods his head then they both turn towards the door when you open a few minutes later, Kenma’s mom had cut your hair to how you used to have it, the back and sides buzzed down but the top left long enough that it falls over your right eye as it parts to the right.

“I’m ready to go whenever you are, Testu.” Grabbing your bag, you fling it over your shoulder then wait for the other. Kenma is silent as the two of you gather your things, but you catch the look on his face. Even in the short amount of time you’ve been here, you’ve come to understand when something has upset the silent one. Giving a wave as the two of you close the front door, you walk down the street in silence then stop a few paces from your house. “Why was Kenma upset?”

“He’s just anxious about the upcoming practice match.” Kuro lies but you just frown and accept it, not wanting to push the topic for now; trusting that either of them will tell you when they’re ready.

It was finally the weekend but of course you and Kuro got up early to head to the school since everyone agreed they wanted to practice a bit before their opponents for the practice match showed up near noon. Sitting with your back against the wall, you write down some notes in the notebook and glance up to watch the guys every so often while making notes about each player. 

Covering a yawn, you look down at your watch to see what time it was. Seeing that it was near noon, you stand up then blow the whistle you were given by the coaches for today, “Okay guys. Time to take a break before the game starts. They should be showing up any time now!” The team looks to you, each of them nodding before sitting down where they were or going to get their water bottles to get a drink. Smiling to yourself, you close the notebook then slip it into your backpack and head outside to get some air. 

Leaning against the wall outside the doors, you close your eyes when the sound of footsteps nearing reaches your ears. Opening an eye, you see a group of boys walking towards you. Pushing off the wall to stand straight, you smile at them, “You must be the Karasuno team. Welcome.” A boy with short brown hair and a number 1 on his jersey steps forward, hand extended. 

“We are. I’m the captain, Daichi. Thanks for having us.” Shaking the boys hand, you smile at him then turn to head into the gym with the visitors behind you.

“Ah, they’re here!” Lev says with as much enthusiasm as he always has. Laughing at the boys outburst, you step to the side letting the visiting team in and go over to where Kuro is. 

“I always feel so damn short around you volleyball players.” You say with a playful huff, arms folded over your chest; Kuro chuckles then ruffles your hair.

“Well you are short, Chibi-chan.” He says then pinches your cheek; swatting at his hand, you frown at him then point a finger threateningly only for the raven haired boy to laugh. Patting him on the cheek you go over to where the coaches are as everyone gets ready for the game to start. The games go by pretty fast, having played a total of three with Nekoma winning each. As the guys clean up the gym, you help the Karasuno manager with filling the water bottles. 

“Some interesting players you have this year.” You say to the girl as you fill up a bottle at the fountain. She glances at you with a soft smile as she fills hers up.

“Yeah, interesting is a good term for it.” Her voice is soft; glancing at her, you notice that she is really pretty. Smiling a bit to yourself as she reminds you of your ex; giving yourself a mental shake you return to the task at hand, the two of you talking and getting to know each other. When you returned to the gym to hand out the bottles, the guys had finished cleaning up and were already getting ready to leave. Exchanging numbers with the Karasuno manager, Kiyoko, so the two of you could keep in touch if the other needed help with something. 

Standing away from the crowd the two of you watch the interactions between Tanaka and Yamamoto, Daichi and Kuro, and the two coaches. Seeing this you can’t help but start laughing, Kiyoko gives you a funny look, “Sorry, it’s just they’re all so similar. It’s funny.” You say, these words bring a smile to the other girl's face.

“You’re right.” She starts to giggle then you both look over at the call of your names. Giving her a wave you run to catch up with Kuro and the others. Kuro puts an arm around your shoulders when you catch up.

“Made a new friend?” He asks, glancing over his shoulder to the bus that was leaving. Smiling softly, you give a small nod.

“Yeah, she seems nice. The whole group gets along with everyone here. So it’s nice. Though we do have some odd balls that seem like soulmates to me.” Looking up at Kuro, you poke your tongue out; he just laughs then ruffles your hair. Glancing at Kenma you notice he’s back into his game, which like the little shit you are, you reach out to poke his cheek in hopes of distracting him. He looks up at you with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“What do you think of the Karasuno team?” You ask, slipping out from under Kuro’s arm to walk beside your friend. Kenma turns back to his game, remaining silent for a few moments.

“I think they’re interesting. Shoyo likes to jump around.” Looking at Kenma you wouldn’t be able to tell that he was excited but being around him and Kuro a majority of your time here, you could see the excitement in his eyes. Smiling to yourself, hands clasped behind you as the three of you lapse into silence for the rest of the walk home. 

At the next practice the coach has everyone gather around right away, “Alright, the interhigh prelims are in a month. We will be practicing more over the duration of this time. Working more on our sets, receives and serves for those who need more practice. During the week leading up to the prelims, we will be working on new combinations,” Nekomata turns to me at this, “Sam, I’d like for you to come up with five new combinations. If you can, if not. I understand.” He smiles which you return with a nod of your head. 

As the next month flew by you managed to come up with several new combinations that the team mastered within the week, though there were a few complications but that they managed to work through and will continue to work through in future games. But other things happened during that month, you got closer to the group of second years you met in the music room; on days where you didn’t need to go to volleyball practice you would meet up with them to make music and write songs. Even during lunch some days your group would go up to the roof to play and sing; Kuro joined you after talking with the team or the team would come up to join you all as well. It was nice, you had the team and new friends who shared your love of music.

Standing in the gym where the spring interhigh preliminaries are being held, you watch as the first set of teams warm up for their match. Nekoma was set to play this afternoon, so you and the team watched the morning matches then went to get ready for your own. When the ref blows the whistle to signal the match would begin soon, Kuro has everyone including you gather in a circle. He smiles at you then at the others as each of you put a hand in the circle before he begins to speak, “We’re like the blood in our veins. We must flow without stopping. Keep your oxygen moving and your mind working.” It was one of two variations of the chant he always says before a game. Everyone smiles and a few yell ‘Yeah!’ before the circle breaks. 

“Good luck guys. Knock ;em dead!” You say before running back over to the coaches. They won all their matches up until the quarter finals where the third years decided to stay on so they could play in the Spring tournament where they are the third team to represent the Tokyo prefecture. After the interhigh the team takes a few days break before getting ready for the upcoming training camp in July. 

“Hey, I’m heading out to meet with Aiko and the gang to practice some!” You tell Kuro as you stand in the doorway to his room; he looks up at you from his homework.

“Did you finish studying for the test?” He asks as he leans back on his hands, watching you with a small smile. Frowning at him, you fold your arms over your chest. 

“I studied a few pages more than I normally do. Can I go now?” You say with a whine which makes him laugh as he stands up to grab his jacket, “Where are you going?”

“With you of course. I like listening to you guys play.” He says then kisses your cheek as the two of you head out, “Hey Granny, we’re going out for a bit. Should be back before it’s too late.” He says to the elderly lady at the table, she looks up and gives the two of you a smile.

“Have fun and stay safe.” Slipping on your shoes, you grab your guitar case and put it over your shoulder as the two of you walk. Humming the tune of the new song you were working on, Kuro begins to hum along as well. Catching him, you can’t help the giggle that slips past your lips. 

“What’s so funny?” He asks, turning to look at you.

“Oh nothing. I just like your voice, is all.” You say as a blush tints your cheeks; Kuro smirks then leans in so his lips were right beside your ear. 

“Oh, is that so.” Jumping at this, you swat his arm with a huff and he laughs before pulling you into his side. Dancing around, Kuro takes your guitar so you don’t drop it. As you dance ahead of him, you begin to sing the lyrics from the song Blue Bird.

Since there was no school today you and the gang decided to meet up in the park, which was a regular occurrence since you all liked to perform for anyone that happens to walk by. Getting to the park, you run ahead then jump on Nikko’s back, the blonde stumbles but regains his footing and looks over his shoulder at you, “You’re late, Sam-chan.” He says as you slip off his back then go over to Kuro to take the guitar case from him. Sitting on the fountain seat beside Aiko and Chiyo, you just smile at the group. 

“Sorry, I had to do some studying for the upcoming test I have.” You wiggle your nose in distaste, the action makes the others laugh. Poking tongue at them, you set your guitar on your lap then strum it before starting to tune it so it sounds right, “Alright, so the usual today. Or are we gonna play the new set of songs?”

“I say we play a few of the fan favorites,” Chiyo says as she points to the already small forming crowd around the fountain, “And then move on to some new ones.” Looking out at the crowd you can’t help the feeling of excitement that runs down your spine. You love playing for a crowd, it’s something that's been happening almost every weekend for the last month and it always made you happy. 

The others all agreed before you started to play; now it was hard to carry around a drum set or keyboard so the boys each had something they could use as a replacement for when you all played at the park. They set up their things and with a final check the show begins. The first song was something slow but as each song finished the beat got faster until you set down your guitar then got up to dance around with people in the crowd as you sang. For a few songs, Kuro would join you; the action made you blush as your voices fit perfectly together. As the day comes to an end, everyone decides to go grab a bite to eat before we all head home with a promise to see each other on Monday. 

Looking up at the darkening sky, you smile softly to yourself then sigh before slowing to a stop. Kuro keeps walking until he notices you weren’t beside him, he stops then turns to face you, “Sam?” Looking up at Kuro, you tilt your head then catch up to him but he doesn’t move as he stands there watching you.

“I think… I think I’m going to stop getting my T-shots. I don’t want to transition anymore, so I’m going to tell my counselor that I want to stop taking them.” Kuro’s eyes go wide as you say this but he smiles before pulling you into a hug; laughing softly, you hug him back. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot this last week, the reason why I was wanting to do it in the first place was to try and get my ex back. But, I don’t want to or need to anymore because I have you.” You say this and smile up at the raven haired boy whose face was now a bright red color. As soon as you got home, you called your counselor to tell them what you decided to do and they got started on the paperwork to get things rolling. You were still going to be taking them, but not as often until you didn’t need to so as not to cause your body to fall sick from just suddenly stopping.

And not long after it was time for the summer training camp. Packing your bag, you make sure you have everything you’ll be needing then go to join Kuro as you have breakfast then head out for the week. “So I’ll finally be able to meet the infamous Bokuto-san now.” You say, Kuro looks at you then laughs and Kenma just shakes his head without looking up from his game.

“Why do you want to meet him?” Kenma asks as he glances over at you then back at his game.

“Well from what I’ve been told he’s in the top 5 for aces in the high school league across the country, and Tetsu here keeps telling me stories of their antics whenever they hang out.” Kuro rolls his eyes then puts his hand on your head before giving you a push; stumbling a bit, you laugh then stick tongue at him before running on ahead to help pack up the bus that will be taking you to the Shinzen school that was holding the camp this summer while the gym at your school was being fixed up. Nekomata smiles as you run up to him then holds out a file with some papers for you.

“This is the schedule for this week's training camp, it also has some information on the schools we’ll be training with so you can get to know them a little before meeting the boys in person.” The elderly male says as he chuckles, smiling up at him, you nod in thanks then turn to the team before hollering at them to get their butts on the bus so you could head out.

The drive takes about an hour then everyone files off before you all head into the gym to see if anyone else is here yet. Three other teams were, so now the team you all were waiting on was Karasuno.

“Hey, hey, hey! Look who’s finally arrived!” Tilting your head, you look towards the voice as a grey and black haired male walks over to your team. Raising an eyebrow, you look to Kuro who just smirks before putting an arm around your shoulders. 

“That is Bokuto, the ace of the Fukurodani team.” You look over to Bokuto as he stops in front of you and Kuro, the same smirk on the males face. 

“So you’re one of the top five aces,” tilting your head, you look the boy up and down with a smirk, “Doesn’t seem like much.” You stick your tongue out as Bokuto gets a shocked look on his face, Kuro ducks his head as he laughs and another boy who was following behind Bokuto chuckles softly.

“Hey now, that’s just plain mean.” Bokuto frowns and hunches over, arms hanging limply as he looks at you. Kuro just shakes his head before stepping up beside the other boy then pats him on the back. 

“No worries, she doesn’t mean any of it. It’s just how she is.” He says with a smirk and winks at you, “Bokuto, meet my girlfriend, Samantha.” Bokuto straightens up at this as his eyes lock on yours then he glances at Kuro. 

“So this is the girl you told me about.” He smirks then moves to walk around you in a circle before stopping beside you then reaches a hand out to ruffle your hair. “Well, it’s nice to finally put a face to the name, Sam. Nice to meet you!” He says then extends his hand, laughing to yourself you shake his hand then turn as the others yell for you and Kuro that they were going to put their things in the room they were staying in. 

“Alright, looks like we should go.” Kuro says, and you nod before heading after the others. By the time everyone put their things away, and had played a few practice matches the Karasuno team finally showed up, minus two players but you were told they would show up later on. 

“If they’re here, that means Kiyoko-san is!” You say then look around before spotting the girl. Running over, you tackle her into a hug, “Kiyoko-san!” The two of you laugh as you help her up. 

“It’s good to see you, Sam.” She says with a soft smile.

“I’m glad you were able to come. I missed you.” You pout then hug the girl again, “Being around only boys is a pain in the ass.” This makes the girl giggle and you stick your tongue out at her with a wink. 

Later that evening the two Karasuno boys that didn’t show up with the team finally managed to join everyone. You could feel the change in the air when the two of them showed up, Kuro was smirking even more than usual. Kenma was excited, you could tell by the look in his eyes when he saw Hinata. The first game Karasuno played was against yours, it was funny watching them play against Lev since he wasn’t there for their last game. Chuckling to yourself, you write down notes as the game goes on. 

After the first day, things seemed to fall into a rhythm. Karasuno lost a majority of their games, but you could tell they were improving and trying out new things. Smiling to yourself, you head outside once the practice games are over for the day. Going over to the small hill, you lay down with music playing softly from your phone. Kuro was practicing some more with Bokuto as well as the tall blonde from Karasuno and Akaashi, who was the boy that was always seen with Bokuto. He was level headed, so the two of you hit it off almost immediately. It was nice to make more friends; smiling as you look up at the night sky memories from your home start to flood your mind. “I hope everyone is doing okay.” You mutter to yourself. 

Letting a few songs play, you decide to head over to where Kuro and the others were so you could watch them practice. Sitting with your back against the wall, you notice how the blonde seems to be paying more attention to the game. Like he was actually getting fired up, ‘Hmm, interesting.’ You think as a smile tugs at your lips. 

On the third day you sat on the hill in the shade of the lone tree there with a notebook out, pencil tucked behind your ear and your guitar on your lap. Humming under your breath, you strum a few cords then write them down in the notebook. “Sam!” Someone yells your name, making you jump at the sudden noise. Looking up from the guitar you see Boktuo, Akaashi, Kuro and Tsukishima walking over to you.

“What’s up?” You ask as the boys sit in a circle in front of you. Tsuki takes off his glasses to clean them, Kuro sits beside you and pulls you into his side while moving the guitar off your lap. 

“We were looking for you. Did you have anything to eat yet?” Akaashi speaks up, his voice soft but loud enough for you to hear. At the question a rumble comes from your stomach, cheeks turning a bright red you wrap arms around yourself as the boys laugh. “I’ll take that as a no.” The boy says before holding out a bento box to you. 

“Thanks.” You say then put your hands together, “Thanks for the meal.” Opening the bento, you begin to eat as the boys talk amongst themselves. The next three days went by smoothly, Karasuno finally managed to win their final game before the camp ended. The coaches all pitched in for there to be a big bbq at the end. Standing off to the side with the other club managers you all laugh as the boys look like a pack of hungry wolves. Nekomata spoke some words of encouragement before giving the boys the go ahead to eat. You and the other girls walk around with plates of fruit to hand out before getting your own plates of food then sit by the hill again to eat. Feeling a buzzing in your pocket, you take out your phone. 

“Excuse me.” You say to the girls then run off around the corner of the building. Kuro notices this and frowns before looking back to Kenma and Lev.

“Both of you better eat something. You to Tsuki.” He says then heads off in the direction you had run off to. 

“What… Okay, hold on. Chiyo, calm down and take a breath for me please. I can’t underst-” You stop and freeze mid sentence, “...You’re kidding me right… she didn’t” Kuro stands at the corner as he watches you. Your eyes were wide, staring at nothing as you hung up without saying goodbye. The phone slipping from your fingers before your knees give out; he runs forward to catch you before you could hit the ground.

“Sam, what happened?”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a longer chapter, sorry it's taken so long to write it. 
> 
> And I realized about halfway through this one that I've spelt the name Aiko like Aika a few times. I also realize most of Sam's friends names end with an O, but it's just things turned out. So I will be going through previous chapters to change the name Aika to Aiko, so it's not confusing.
> 
> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Oh! And there is a character death in this chapter as well as mention of suicide/suicidal thoughts.*******

**WARNING: Character death, mentions of suicide, suicidal thoughts.**

Looking up at Kuro, your vision starts to turn blurry as tears well up in your eyes, “I...It’s Aiko...she’s...she….” gritting your teeth, you wrap arms tight around the boy and bury your face against his chest as your body starts to tremble and sobs slip out. 

“Sam? What happened?” He moves a hand to pet your hair as he holds onto you until you are okay to talk. After a few moments you lean back then use your sleeves to clean your eyes, looking at Kuro then to your phone, you sniff and let out a sigh before standing up. Going to pick up your phone, you growl then throw the damn thing so it hits the side of the building. 

“Aiko…. She killed herself… Apparently she was very sick. Has been for months and she never said anything to any of us.” Clenching hands at your sides, more tears start to fall as you glare at the offending piece of technology that was broken on the ground. Kuro stands there with his eyes wide then moves forward to pull you into a hug again. “When are we heading back? I...I need to go be with them.” Your voice was muffled against his chest as he held you close again.

“As soon as the bbq is over. I can see if the assistant coach can take us back now, if you want.” Nodding at this, Kuro gently lets you go and once he was sure you wouldn’t collapse again he turns then runs to find the coach. You go to where your phone is then pick it up before heading back towards the group. Walking past them, Bokuto tries to get your attention but when he sees the look in your eyes his smile fades then he turns to Akaashi who just shakes his head. You go over to where Kuro is talking with the coach, they see you then nod before Kuro goes to get your things and you follow the coach to the car. 

The drive back doesn’t take long, as soon as it's parked in the hospital parking lot you jump out of the car then run into the building. The nurse at the reception desk gives you the info you ask for before running down the hallways, “Hey, don’t run in the hospital!” She yells, Kuro apologizes before he hurries after you. Throwing open the door to the room you stop short when you see Chiyo sitting on a chair beside the bed, Nikko leaning against the window and looking out, Takeo was pacing the room. Hiro was sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. They all turn to you when the door opens, Chiyo is the first one up as she runs over to hug you tight. Arms wrapping around you, her face burying into your shoulder as you stare wide eyed at Aiko laying in the bed with no wires attached to her. The heart rate machine flat lined and turned off. “I thought you said they could….” Your voice came out, barely above a whisper.

“T-They tried… but it was too late. Her parents just left, they took her off life support an hour ago.” Squeezing eyes closed, you wrap your arms around Chiyo then drop your head onto her shoulder as the tears start to fall again. The two of you cling together as you cry silently. Chiyo rubs your back as she glances over to Kuro, who clenches his jaw then steps forward to pull the two of you into him. Chiyo pulls away first to turn and head back into the room, you look up at Kuro and give him a pained smile before following after the other girl. Sitting down on the chair that Chiyo motions for you to, you reach out to take Aiko’s hand to hold between both of yours. Pressing it against your forehead, you let your eyes close.

“Why… Why didn’t you come to us, we would’ve been there for you dammit!” Gritting your teeth, you lift your head to look at the girl. Her skin was pale, chest not moving showing that she really was gone. Looking around at the others they all lock eyes with you then look down, finally your gaze falls on Hiro, Aiko’s brother. Standing up suddenly from the seat causing it to fall back, you stomp over to the boy then grab him by the front of his shirt, “Why didn’t you tell us she was sick? You’re her brother, you should’ve known she was!” Hiro looks at you with wide, scared eyes. Kuro hurries over to put a hand on yours. 

“Sam, calm down.” He says, his voice calm though it wasn’t reaching you as fresh tears started falling again.

“You could’ve told us and we would’ve been there for her! She would be alive and with us right now!” You yell, shaking the boy before shoving him back so he falls onto the floor. Glaring down at him, you take a few deep breaths then turn to storm out. You knew your temper gets bad when emotions run high, but you needed an outlet and Hiro was it. But you managed to calm down enough to get yourself out of there before you did something you would regret. They watch you leave, Hiro pulling himself to his feet; Chiyo frowning at the door, Nikko just sighs and Takeo runs fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry.” Kuro says as he looks at the four of them then towards the door, he picks up his backpack and yours before moving to leave.

“Kuro-senpai, wait,” Chiyo runs after him when he leaves the room, “Aiko wrote a letter for each of us. Here is Sam’s. I doubt she’ll want to read it right now, but I think it's best to give to you so she can whenever she’s ready. I know she hasn’t been hanging out with us for long, but she is like a big sister to all of us. Aiko really looked up to her, so I know Sam is hurting worse then all of us because she no doubt wanted more time with Aiko.” Chiyo looks up at the male then gives him a sad smile. “Please take care of her. And let her know we’re here if she needs us.”

Kuro smiles at the girl then puts a hand on her head, “I will. And the same goes for the four of you,” he digs through his pocket for a piece of paper then a pen before writing down his number and handing it to the girl, “If Sam doesn’t answer her phone, just message or call me and I’ll pass along any message to her.” Chiyo takes the paper then nods before hurrying back to the room. Kuro heads home to check to see if you were there, when he didn’t find you in your room he runs downstairs. He had looked in the waiting room back at the hospital for you, but one of the nurses said you had run out after being described to them. 

“Dad, did Sam come home yet?” 

“Oh, welcome home, Tetsurou. No she hasn’t, is everything okay?” Kuro shakes his head then turns to run out. 

“Dammit, Sam.” He looks at the nearby park to find it empty then he checks the one by the school. Not finding you there, he calls up Yaku, Lev, Kenma and Kai to help look for you. “I’ll explain everything later. I just need your help to find her.” Was all he said as they joined him at the train station. 

“Is the location on her phone on?” Kenma asks as he takes out his own to pull up your contact.

“No, otherwise I wouldn’t need to call you guys for help!” He almost yells, Yaku puts a hand on the males shoulder.

“Calm down. We’ll find her. This isn’t the first time she’s run off.” The brunette says, Kuro just growls then turns to head off in one direction. “Lev you’re with me, we’ll look around here. Kai go check out the parks around the school and here, Kenma..”

“I’ll go with Kuro, help him keep a cool head.” The soft spoken boy says then runs off to join the captain. The other three runoff in the directions where they needed to search. “Kuro!” Kuro doesn’t stop, he just storms on as his eyes dart around trying to find you.

“If she’s anything like me, she hates saying goodbye. We need to find her before she does something stupid.” Was all he said before breaking into a run; Kenma’s frown deepens as he does his best to keep up. They search for at least another hour before Kenma spots you sitting on a bench with your knees tucked up under your chin. Kenma grabs Kuro’s arm to pull him to a stop then points to where he sees you. Kuro looks in the direction then goes to take a step forward but Kenma stops him. 

“You still haven’t told me what happened.” He looks up at Kuro with an angry expression; Kuro sighs then looks over to where you’re sitting.

“She just lost one of her bandmates.” Kenma’s eyes widen a fraction as he hears this then looks over at you before sighing. Taking a step back, he lets Kuro go. 

“I’ll call the others to let them know we found her.” He walks down the street to call and then waits for the two of you. Kuro nods then makes his way to you, sitting on the opposite end of the bench he looks straight ahead.

“You real-.” Kuro starts but stops when you speak up.

“I’m sorry… for running away again.” Wrapping arms tighter around your knees, face buried between them as shoulders shake slightly from holding back your sobs. “I’m sorry.” Sniffing, you lift your head to look up at the night sky as a shooting star flies across the sky. Taking a breath, you start to sing softly, a song that usually helps you to calm down. Once you were sure you were okay, you slowly stand up then stretch your arms out. “We should head home.” You say without looking at Kuro as you turn to walk to where Kenma is. Continuing past him, the two boys frown at each other but follow along behind you in silence. 

“The others headed home and told me to tell you, they all said goodnight.” Kenma speaks up after a few moments, you don’t acknowledge hearing it as you turn down the street to your house. Kuro sighs then shakes his head, “Well, this is me. So I’ll see you two later.” Kenma waves as he disappears into his house; Kuro waves then hurries to catch up with you as you had already got home and disappeared into your room. Collapsing into bed, you curl up and wrap arms around a pillow as you bury your face in it. Kuro knocks then waits for you to say something, when you don’t he opens the door to come in. 

He sits on the edge of your bed, reaching a hand out to gently pet your hair, “Sam…” You swat his hand away then roll over to face the wall.

“I’m fine. Leave me alone.” Voice muffled by the pillow as you keep your face hidden. Kuro frowns before getting up to leave. You hear the door close, which is when you let yourself relax. Sitting up, you look down at your jacket then over to your desk where a picture of you and the others sits in a frame that Aiko chose for you. Reaching out to pick it up, you lay back holding the picture above your face. 

Clenching hands around the frame, you sit up and throw it hard at the wall beside the door as Kuro opens it. He jumps as the glass of the frame shatters, in his hands was a bowl of ice cream as well as a blanket from his room that he knew you liked to have when you were upset. Looking at him, you turn your gaze to the ground before scooting far back on the bed to keep distance between the two of you as he sits down on your bed. He sets the bowl down on the small table then spreads the blanket out over your legs before getting up to pick the frame up to assess the damage. Seeing only the glass was broken, he sets it off to the side then starts to pick up the pieces of glass and goes to throw them away. While he’s gone you move the blanket to wrap it around your shoulders and over your head like a hood, then pick up the bowl of ice cream and begin to eat it. 

Kuro comes back with his laptop this time, a smile turning the corners of his mouth up when he sees you with the blanket wrapped around you. Glancing up at him before quickly looking back down, you continue to eat in silence. He closes the door then turns the light off after making sure the lamp on your bedside table was on, he then sets up the laptop to play a movie before crawling onto your bed. By now you have finished the ice cream, so you set the bowl aside then lays down and Kuro pulls you back against him. You move the blanket so it was covering you both before turning to bury your face against his chest. He lays there, holding you close as he runs fingers through your hair, the movie playing softly in the background. 

The next day you wake up with Kuro still laying there with you, carefully you pull yourself from his arms then roll over to check your phone. There were a few texts from the others but you choose to ignore them in favor of going to take a shower. Letting the water run over you, you breath out a sigh as the tension somewhat leaves your body. Looking at your hands, then curl them into fists before crouching down and let out more tears. ‘Why Aiko… why didn’t you tell any of us…’ Punching the wall a few times, you then turn the water off before stepping out, not noticing that Kuro was there as he wrapped you in a towel. It wasn’t unusual for him to do this so you weren’t embarrassed that he saw you naked. “Thanks.” You manage to get out as you pull the towel tight around yourself, he just nods as you sit down on the stool and he begins to dry off your hair.

“You weren’t beside me when I woke up, so I got worried but then I heard the water running. Everyones out for the day, so I knew it was you in here.” You just hum as a response, eyes staring at the ground as Kuro helps you to get ready for the day. “Do you want to go to school today? I can call dad to see if he’ll call in for you.” Pulling on the school shirt you start to button it up. 

“No, I need to go. The others might be there and I need to be there for them.” You say as you fix the bow around your neck then go to find the pants and skirt. Looking at the both of them, you shrug then pull the skirt on, happy that they let you wear it so it hangs down to your knees. Digging through your dresser you find a pair of simple black leggings then pull those on under the skirt and finally some socks. 

“Gonna wear the skirt today. That’ll be different.” Kuro says, you glance at him then shrug.

“If I’m going to stop taking the medicine, I might as well start dressing as a girl again.” Frowning slightly you don’t feel comfortable in this outfit but as you said, you wanted to feel more like a girl again that was why you decided to stop with the medicine. Kuro shakes his head then goes to get ready himself. Going downstairs you start breakfast for the two of you, music playing from your phone. It was the song you wrote with Aiko and Chiyo a few weeks ago; singing along with it, you can’t help but smile at the memories.

As the song comes to an end a few tears slide down your face onto the counter. Fingers grip the edge of the counter as your head hangs and you let them fall freely for the second time that day. Sinking to your knees, you grit your teeth to fight down the sobs threatening to escape you; but before you could fully break down, Kuro’s pulling you into his arms as he hugs you tight and starts to hum softly to calm you down. He turns off the music and just sits with you on the floor.

The sound of the toaster popping pulls you from your thoughts as you scramble to stand up to finish getting breakfast ready, “Sam…” Kuro stands then puts his hand over yours to stop you.

“I’m fine. I just need to focus on something else for now. I need to be strong for the band.” You stare down at the toast then pull your hand from Kuro’s to put some butter on the toast, sliding him his food, you pick up yours to eat before going to grab your bag. “We need to get going or else we’ll be late.” Kuro frowns but he grabs his things to follow after you. Once at school, you change from the shoes to slippers before heading up to your class. Kuro walks in silence beside you until you reach your class. 

“I’ll see you at break.” You say then slip inside without another word. Going to your seat, you sit down then just stare out the window. Kai takes his seat in front of you, he turns to say something but stops when he sees the far away look in your eyes. Frowning, he turns back to face the front as the teacher comes in. Not really paying attention, you just write down anything that is put on the board; when the bell rings for break you get up then leave to go find the others. Your feet automatically take you to the music room, sliding open the door you look up to see Chiyo, Hiro, Nikko and Takeo all there.They jump then turn towards the door when you open it.

“Sam…” Takeo stands up but you hold your hand out so he stays where he is. 

“I just wanted to come check on all of you,” you force yourself to smile as you step further into the room, “If you guys ever need me or someone to talk to. Please, just call me no matter what time it is. I will answer it. No matter where I am, I will do my best to be by your side.” Hands curling into fists at your sides, your gaze falls to the ground. “But for now I’ll let you all be.” Bowing to them, you turn to leave the door quietly shutting behind you and you head back to your classroom. ‘I’m an outsider, they need to be together more without me there.’ You think to yourself. Ducking into the washroom, you splash some water on your face then continue back to class. Kai and Yaku were sitting around Kai’s desk as they talked and ate. When they see you come in, they both give you a smile.

“Hey, Sam, wanna eat with us?” Taking your seat, you pull your lunch from your bag then begin to eat without saying a word. The two look at you for a moment then look at each other before each placing some food from their lunches with yours; frowning slightly you look at the two of them. 

“You don’t have to. I have plenty to eat.” You say, holding up an onigiri then taking a bite. 

“We know. We just want to help cheer you up.” Yaku says with a small smile, looking at the boy you can’t help but smile back.

“Thank you. Both of you.” A knock on the classroom door makes you jump; the three of you look over to see Kuroo and Kenma standing there.

“Yo.” You wave as the two walk over to the small group; Kuroo leans down to place a soft kiss to your cheek before pulling up a seat. Kenma leans against the window as he continues to play his game. Leaning over you try to get a look at which game he is playing while the other three start talking amongst themselves. Getting an idea you quickly snatch the game from Kenma then jump over Kuroo as the smaller boy blinks then runs after you. 

“Hey, Sam, give it back!” Kenma says as he chases in you circles around the small group. Laughing you keep dancing out of his reach. 

“Nope, you play games too much!” You have your back turned so you don’t notice Kuroo reaching out to wrap both arms around you before pulling you onto his lap. “Oi, no fair!” You pout at him, trying to wriggle out of his grasp; Kenma takes this chance to take the game back with a pout. 

“Meanie.” Sticking tongue at Kenma when he says that, he chuckles then sticks his tongue back at you. Grabbing your water bottle, you go back to pouting and drink from it, not bothering to move from Kuroo’s lap. The raven haired boy just laughs, resting his chin on your shoulder. For the moment you seemed happier than you did the last two days, which the guys all felt relieved at. Means things can only get better from here on out. 

As the day goes on, you find your mind drifting back to memories of you, the others and Aiko. A few times the teacher needs to call your name to get you to pay attention; once class is over the teacher asks you to stay back. She asks what's wrong, you explain what happened and she seems to understand so she gives you a small break from homework. Thanking her, you then head towards the gym since you still needed to be there for the guys practice. Going to the girls locker room, you change into your track pants, shirt and jacket before joining the guys.

“Sam!” Yaku yells out as he waves. Jumping a bit, you look over then wave back which makes the boy smile big. The guys were just warming up before practice starts; Kuroo barks out some orders once everyone was warming up. As he has the team run a few laps, he wanders over to you as you take out your notebook.

“So, is there anything you think we should work on today?” He asks as you flip through the pages before showing him your notes from the training camp.

“For Yaku and Yuki, I want them to try something different when they get ready to receive. It's from a different sport, but I think it could work here.” Kuroo nods then calls the two over as you fish out your phone to find a video to show them, “It’s called a split step.” The three of them look at you but you turn their attention to a video on your phone. Yaku and Yuki nod then head back onto the court, “Kenma I want you to set for Kai who’s gonna be hitting some spikes to Yaku. Tama, I want you to set for Yamamoto who’s gonna spike for Yuki.” Everyone nods then they begin. You watch them for a bit then look back to your notes, “Kuroo can you help Lev practice more receives?” He nods then goes over to drag the tall silver haired boy off to practice, “Now that leaves…” You look around the gym to find the two before waving them over. “Inuoka and Fukunaga, I want you to work on your serves. Maybe try the jump float or a running serve, I guess is what it's called.” You tap the pen against your chin as you think.

“Alright!” Inouka laughs as he drags Fukunaga to practice. Once you are sure everyone is doing something you sigh softly then sit down with your phone out as you look up more videos. They all notice how you throw yourself into your work now that the news has spread about what happened; sighing softly you scratch the back of your head as you watch the videos you have from the training camp. Even after practice was over, you went right up to your room to watch them on your laptop and write down notes for tomorrow's practice. When you weren’t at practice you were in the music room with the others playing music and just trying to not think about what happened. The funeral was being held in a week which gave you and the band a few days to practice something the five of you agreed on. 

“Alright, that should do it. You think your mom will be fine if we do this, Hiro?” Chiyo asks as the five of you finish practice for the day. 

“Oh yeah, she’s actually happy that we’re planning on this. And thank you, for letting me join the band.” He says with a smile though it fades as he looks at you. You notice how his voice trails off which makes you turn to him.

“It’s fine. I’m sorry for freaking out back at the hospital.” You say then turn down your street with a wave; the four of them look at each other then laugh softly.

“She is confusing.” Hiro says which makes the other three laugh more. 

“You’ll get used to her.” Takeo says then clasps hands behind his head as he continues on, the others soon following after. 

Sighing softly you close the door before taking off your shoes, “Welcome home, Sam!” Grandma steps out of the kitchen with a smile. Looking at the lady, you give her a soft smile.

“I’m home, Granny.” Laughing softly you make your way past, giving her a peck on the cheek then head up the stairs, “I’ll change then help you with cleaning the kitchen.” She laughs softly as you do. When you come back downstairs you help Granny clean up the kitchen, you were out a bit later then Kuroo so he was already home and ate supper earlier. After you are done cleaning, you sit down to eat your own supper then clean up your dishes before heading upstairs to see what Kuroo was up to. Knocking on the door you wait for him to answer then you poke your head inside. 

“Hey, welcome home.” He says as he looks up from his homework, you step inside then close the door before sitting down on the edge of his bed. “How was practice?”

“It was good. We’re all set for the funeral next week.” He scoots over so he could lean his head on your knee. Running fingers through his hair, you start to hum softly.

“Yeah,” he lets his eyes close and practically purrs as you pet his hair, “How are you holding up?” Your hand stills in his hair which makes him open his eyes to look up at you. Looking back into the golden hues, you sigh softly then look out the window.

“I’m holding up. Best I can right now.” Kuroo hums at the response then closes his eyes again, resuming running fingers through his hair as you continue to look out the window. 

“Bokuto and Akaashi want to hang out tomorrow. Do you want to come with me when I go meet up with them?” Turning to look down at Kuroo, you see him smiling softly up at you.

“Sure, I’d like to see the owls again.” Laughing softly you then stretch your arms above your head, “Now to finish the homework.” Kuroo lifts his head so you could stand.

“Well go get your homework then come back here, I’ll help you finish it all tonight.” You head to your room to grab the homework then return to Kuroo’s. Sitting down the two of you manage to finish it all within two hours. Once that was done, you just sprawl out on the floor.

“Gah, I hate science and math.” Kuroo just laughs at this before tossing a pillow at you.

“Well if you didn’t suck, it wouldn’t be so bad.” Grabbing the pillow, you throw it back at him.

“Shut up you damn nerd!” Laughing softly you meep in surprise when he’s suddenly hovering over you. His hands on the ground on either side of your head as he looks at you with a small smirk. 

“I may be a nerd. But I’m your nerd.” He leans down to kiss you on the cheek before getting up. Blinking a few times at this, your face turns a bright red and steam seems to shoot out of your ears. Kuroo laughs softly as he sees your face then reaches out a hand to help you up. Looking at him, you smile softly then stand on your toes to place a kiss on his cheek before gathering your things then head back to your own room. 

The next day you sit up wondering why you were awake so early, looking at the time it says it's just before 6am but that’s when you hear the front door close. Getting out of bed, you open your curtains to see that Kuroo was leaving to go for his morning run, “Always up so damn early.” Shaking your head you find something nice to wear. A simple pair of jeans that have a rip in one of the knees, a black tank top with a red sweater. Humming a bit you go shower before changing into the fresh clothes, then you decide to make some breakfast for when Kuroo gets back. As you’re making breakfast, grandpa, granny and dad all join you in the kitchen. It’s then you notice that mom wasn’t there, frowning a bit at this you make a note to ask about that seeing as you’ve barely seen her the last few weeks. 

“I’m home!” Kuroo says as he returns from his run, he smiles lightly seeing everyone eating breakfast and you get up to go make his plate. “Did you make this?” Nodding at the question, you gather up the used dishes then start to clean while everyone finishes up.

“So, you and Sam are going out today?” Dad asks as he looks up from the newspaper.

“Yeah, Bokuto and Akaashi want to hang out. So I figured why not. Haven’t hung out with them in a while.” After finishing up the dishes you grab the red sweater then pull it on as Kuroo goes upstairs to shower and change. 

“Sam, how are you holding up?” Blinking at the question, it takes you a few moments to understand what he’s asking. Looking off to the side, you think then look back at him while putting on your best smile.

“I’m doing fine. Why do you ask?” He looks at you with a frown then turns back to the newspaper.

“You don’t need to hide that you’re sad. It’s not a good idea to keep your emotions bottled up like that.” Feeling your smile fade, you drop your gaze to the ground then wrap arms around yourself. “We’re here for you. After all, you’re a part of our family now.” He puts a hand on your head then pulls you into a hug. It takes you a little but you wrap arms around him and hug tight.

“T-Thank you.” 

“Oi, dad, don’t go making Sam sad!” Kuroo’s voice pulls you fully from the sad thoughts that began to plague your mind. Pulling back from dad, you turn to face Kuroo as he steps up beside you. All the while the older male just laughs before going back to his seat.

“I was just giving some fatherly advice is all.” Looking between the two of them, you giggle softly then pull the hood of the sweater up over your head before turning to the door.

“We should get going. Bokuto-san will get antsy if we make him wait. Plus I don’t think we should leave Akaashi-san alone with him like that for long.” Pulling on your shoes you head outside before Kuroo.

“Tetusurou,” Kuroo stops, then turns back to his father, “Keep an eye on her. She’s putting up a brave front.”

“I know. It’s why I asked Bokuto and Akaashi to hang out today. Maybe Bokuto’s energy will help cheer her up.” Putting on his own shoes, Kuroo makes sure he has his phone then wallet before waving as he follows you out. Standing at the end of the driveway, you play with the cat ears that are on the hood of the sweater and stare up at the bright blue sky. “Ready to go?” Jumping at the voice you turn to face him and smile.

“Yup, let’s go annoy the owls!” You throw an arm up as you laugh then the two of you head off towards the station. Kuroo just laughs then shoves his hands into his pockets as he follows after you. “So where are we meeting them at?”

“They said to meet at the station then we’re gonna figure it out from there. Plus I’m sure there’s a lot of places you still want to see.” You turn around to walk backwards so you could look at him. 

“Shibuya. I wanna go there!” Turning back around to watch where you’re walking so you don’t fall. Kuroo just shakes his head then looks up hearing someone yelling his name. In the distance are Bokuto and Akaashi, Bokuto was waving both hands high in the air. You see them then glance back to Kuroo, he knows that look so he nods. Smiling at him, you then break into a run towards the two, “Bokuto-san!” Jumping into the air, you wrap your arms around his neck as his arms go around your waist and spin you around before setting you on your feet. Laughing you then turn to Akaashi and give him a hug as well. 

“Good to see you again, Sam. It’s been a while.” Akaashi pets the top of your head, the cat ears on the hood folding down as he does. Kuroo steps up beside Bokuto to watch the two of them as they talk.

“So, how is she holding up? She hasn’t said much to me or Akaashi, but I guess that’s to be expected.” Bokuto’s voice is quiet and serious as he talks with Kuroo. 

“She’s putting up a brave front. Dad was talking to her before we left, so maybe she’ll show some of the emotions she’s holding in soon. Everyones worried about her, especially the team. She’s been working herself a lot since coming back from the camp and getting that news. Plus her band has been practicing a lot even after volleyball practice was over. I guess Aiko-san’s parents want them to sing something at the funeral next week.” Kuroo says, then sighs softly. Bokuto looks at you as you laugh with Akaashi. You notice that Bokuto and Kuroo are silent so you turn to face them. 

“Oi, come on. Cheer up ya grumpy butts!” Jumping up you ruffle both their heads then laugh before running ahead to the station to buy your train ticket for today. Bokuto steps up beside you to help pay for a ticket for today; Akaashi walks beside Kuroo. 

“She’ll be fine. She’s strong.” Akaashi says making Kuroo stiffen up before looking at the boy beside him, though Akaashi was watching as you ran ahead of Bokuto trying to stay out of his grasp as the taller boy tries to pick you up again. “We just need to be by her side when she needs us. It’s all we can really do right now. Be her rock for when her walls crumple.” 

“Come on slow pokes! What is with all of you lagging behind today, geez!” Laughing you skip down the steps to the underground train platform. Once on the train you take out your phone and headphones, sitting beside Bokuto you let him listen to some new songs you and the band are currently writing. You also let Akaashi listen to them, the smile on your face making Kuroo smile as well. Looking over at him, you smile wide then motion him over to the seat since he decided to stand. 

“Listen to this one.” Holding out an earbud to him, he takes it then puts it in his ear to listen.

 _”A short leash and a short fuse don't match  
They tell me it ain't that bad, now don't you overreact  
So I just hold my breath, don't know why  
I can't see the sun when young should be fun (Fun)  
And I guess the bad can get better  
Gotta be wrong before it's right  
Every happy phrase engraved in my mind  
And I've always been a go-getter  
There's truth in every word I write  
But still the growing pains, growing pains  
They're keeping me up at night_  
He leans back once the song finishes to look you in the eyes, you’re smiling sadly as you stare down at the phone screen. On the screen was a picture of you, Aika, Chiyo, Nikko and Takeo; it was from when the five of you had gone to visit a temple before the training camp. “Is that..” Before he could finish the question you look up at him.

“Yeah, it’s a song Aiko liked to sing whenever she saw me feeling down. And before we left for camp, she recorded it for me to listen to.” Akaashi and Bokuto look at you before Bokuto suddenly picks you up in a tight hug. Blinking at this as the salt and pepper haired boy starts to cry, you can’t help but laugh and pat his back, “Bokuto, calm down. It’s fine.” He sets you down then you use your sleeves to wipe the tears off his face, “Why are you crying?” Bokuto just looks at you then glances to Kuroo who shrugs. 

“You know me. My emotions go from one extreme to the next!” He says then hits his chest with a fist causing you to laugh at his antics.

“Weirdo.” Shaking your head, you sit back down by Akaashi; the two of you start talking about a book that you’ve both read. After getting off the train you run on ahead to look at the nearest map trying to figure out what to do while here. “Oh, that reminds me. Where is Kateri?” Turning to the boys as you ask this.

“She’s at work today. If she is able to get off early she’ll join us later for supper.” Nodding at this you run on ahead up the steps towards the main street. Getting outside your eyes go wide seeing how many people are there, “Shibuya crossing.” Looking behind you at Bokuto who laughs as he answers. “So is there anywhere special you want to go today?”

“Hmm,” looking around you think for a moment then throw your arms up, “A shrine!” Akaashi takes out his phone to look through a list of them then he steps up beside you to let you choose. “Hmm, the main one. Let’s go to the Meiji shrine… Did I say that right?”

“Meiji Jingu Shrine.” Akaashi says with a soft smile then he offers you his hand so you don’t get lost. Kuroo frowns at this, he goes to say something but Bokuto puts a hand on his friend's shoulder.

“Let them be.”

“Since when are you this calm. It’s weird.” Bokuto bursts out laughing at this then the two follow after you and Akaashi. Nearing the shrine, you let go of Akaashi’s hand to run on ahead so you could see the place sooner. Smiling big you look around with awe at the temple. “Sam, over here!” Kuroo calls out to you from where the three boys are by the shrine part. 

“What’s this?” You ask stopping beside Kuroo, your hand reaching out to grab onto the edge of his sleeve.

“It’s the place where people pray. Normally it's a New Years thing, but since you wanted to come here. We figured we could do this.” Raising an eyebrow you watch as Bokuto and Akaashi pray before stepping aside. Looking at Kuroo, he gives you another small smile then steps forward then turns to wait for you. “It’s the same as a church. But people always just clasp their hands together in front of themselves, say a silent prayer or make a wish then move on.” Nodding a little as you somewhat understand what he says, you watch as he does it then you copy him. Making your wish, you then open your eyes to look up towards the sky before joining the boys again. 

“It’s almost noon, why don’t we go somewhere for lunch?” Akaashi says as the four of you walk along the path. You look around at the giant trees, running anywhere you could to read what a sign would say and you also take a lot of pictures. Some pictures with Bokuto, others with Akaashi and some with Kuroo. You even managed to get a few of the group of you. 

“We need to make sure to get some with Kateri if she joins us!” Bokuto and you almost yell at the same time; looking at each other you both burst into a fit of giggles. Kuroo just laughs with a shake of his head, walking up beside you, he puts an arm around your shoulders to steer you down the path towards the stairs. 

“Let’s go get something to eat.” He says, and you nod before ducking out from under his arm to run on ahead.

“See, she’ll be fine.” Bokuto says as he walks beside Kuroo and Akaashi, “She knows she isn’t alone in her mourning and that we’ll be here no matter what.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Watching you wave from the top of the stair before you disappear as you run down them, “Oi, be careful!” Kuroo yells as he runs after you.

The rest of the day went by quickly, the boys took you shopping after Kateri was able to get off work and join the group. You took more pictures with her and the guys. At the station waiting for the train, you wave to Bokuto, Akaashi and Kateri as they catch their train home. Turning back to the street you clasp your hands behind your back; Kuroo walks along silently behind you.

“Thank you for today. You didn’t need to do this.” He jumps a little as you speak up, looking at your back as you walk he just smiles lightly. “I know you called the two of them to hang out today with us as a way of distracting me from everything.” Turning to face him, you give him a huge smile which causes your eyes to close half way. The wind picks up making your hair float out around your face. “I don’t think I’ve ever said these words yet. But I love you.” Kuroo stands there with wide eyes as he looks at you, a faint blush dusting his cheeks. 

Neither of you have ever said those three words to each other since you arrived, but you felt the intense need to so you did. Seeing the blush on his cheeks, you cover your mouth and giggle, “Cute.” Turning back around you continue on your way home. Kuroo covers his mouth and ducks his head a bit watching you as you walk away. 

‘This girl is going to be the death of me.’ He thinks to himself with a chuckle before hurrying up to catch up with you. 

The next week flies by and before you know it, it’s the day of the funeral. Fixing the black button up shirt Chiyo picked out for you, you look at the photo on your desk. Kuroo got someone to fix the glass of the frame so you wouldn’t have to get a new one. Lifting up the picture frame, you look at your friends with a soft smile. A knock at the door brings you from your thoughts, turning to face it you find Kuroo leaning against the door frame, “Ready to go? Chiyo and Nikko are outside waiting.” Taking one last look at the picture you set it down then follow Kuroo out. 

“Dad, granny and grandpa went on ahead. Kenma said his parents want us to stop by after the funeral.” He tells you as you slip your shoes on. Grabbing the black blazer you pull it on before heading outside. Chiyo sees you first then runs over to give you a tight hug.

“You ready?” You ask her and she nods; holding onto her hand the two of you join Nikko as Kuroo follows along beside.

“Hiro and Takeo are already there. They’re helping get everything set up. So all we have to do is sing when the time comes.” Nikko says softly as he reaches out to give your other hand a squeeze. Smiling lightly at him, you then look straight ahead then turn your gaze to the sky.

“That’s good. Cause I don’t think any of us really want to think today. Personally I want to get this over with… I’m tired of being sad, we need this to happen so we can try to begin the healing process.” Chiyo wraps her arms around yours and hugs it then lets go to run on ahead as you all near the cemetery. Not many people are here aside from you, Chiyo, Nikko, Takeo, Hiro and his parents, Kuroo, Kenma and the whole volleyball team. Looking at each of them as you step up beside Aiko’s mother and you give her a hug; letting the older lady cry on your shoulder as the funeral begins. Once the prayers have been said Aiko’s father gently guides his wife over to him to let you join your friends.

“Ready?” Hiro asks as he looks at the four of you. Since this was his mom's idea, you all decided to have it just be the four of you this time. You each nod then hold onto each other's hand.

“Takeo, you start when you're ready.” Hiro says softly and gives his hand a squeeze before stepping back. He takes a breath then tilts his head back to keep the tears from falling, closing eyes he then starts to sing. 

“Hello...It’s me...I was wondering if after all these years you’d like to meet,” Next Chiyo starts up her part. 

“Send me your location. Let’s focus on communicating, cause I just need the time and place to come through."

"You were the shadow to my light. Did you feel us?" Nikko sings his part, tears running down his cheeks, "Another star, you fade away." Giving his hand a squeeze, you smile as a few tears run down your cheek before you begin your part. 

"Cause you are unforgettable, I need to get you alone..."

"Stand there." Nikko and Chiyo sing together, "And watch me burn. Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts."

"Can we pretend," you start up again once their voices fade, "That airplanes in the night sky like shooting stars. I could really use a wish right now. Wish right now. Wish right now."

"So love me like you do," Takeo's voice cracks as he sings his next part, "Lo-lo-love me like you do," you squeeze his hand to show him he isn't alone, "Touch me like you do..." His voice fades as the tears start to come faster now. Letting go of Chiyo's hand, you turn to pull the boy into a hug and let him cry into your shoulder. 

"I remember years ago, someone told me I should take caustion when it comes to love. I did." You sing as you let your own tears fall. Chiyo moves to wrap her arms around the two of you and Nikko's voice cracks once more as he starts singing.

"It's been a long day without you, my friend. And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again." Chiyo pulls back then cleans her eyes as she takes up her part. 

"So shine bright. Tonight. You and I... We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky."

"Why... why... why... tell them that it's human nature... why....why..." Takeo tries to sing but his tears won't let him. So you continue to rub the boys back as you continue singing. 

"So won't you, stay with me cause you're all I need." Glancing to Nikko, you reach a hand out to him which he quickly grabs onto. 

"We're going down, down in an earlier round and sugar, we're going down swinging. I'll be your number one with a bullet. A loaded god complex, cock it and pull it, yeah." The four of you can't help but chuckle at those lines from one of Aiko's favorite songs. Chiyo giggles then does a little twirl with her eyes closed as she takes up her part. 

"Is it too late now to say sorry," Chiyo looks to Takeo as he looks back at her and smiles joining in

"Cause I'm missing more than just your body." 

"And I don't, and I don't and I don't, no I don't, its true." You join as well. "No I don't, no I don't, no I don't want anybody else but you."

"How can I sleep when you're out there with all my love, I've become so numb, I can't feel you there," Nikko's voice joins the groups. 

"Become so tired, so much more aware..." Looking to Takeo as he lifts his head, you nod then the two of you sing together.

"But you'll never be alone, I'll be with you from dusk till dawn. I'll be with you from dusk till dawn. Baby I'm right here. I'll hold you when things go wrong, I'll be with you from dusk till dawn... I'll be with you from dusk till dawn."

Then the four of you all look towards the sky, voices melding together perfectly as they always have but everyone could hear the missing voice within the group as they sang the last of the mash-up they made, "Baby I'm right here!” Nikko pulls Chiyo to him as the girl finally lets her tears fall; you continue to hold onto Takeo until the boy pulls away, your eyes stay looking towards the sky as a few white, fluffy clouds roll by. 

Vaguely you focus on the rest of the funeral as people say their own words before leaving. Once everyone is gone, you find yourself still standing by the gravestone as you finally let out your own tears. You told them to go on ahead, to give you a little time by yourself so you could let the tears fall in silence. Knees giving out you stare at the gravestone, memories rushing through your mind of the first time you met the group; how Aiko was the first to speak with you, how she invited you to go out for lunch with them and to hang out after school some days. The times you helped her with her homework and the cute way she would get frustrated at the questions or how she’d always puff out her cheeks whenever she gets pouty. From the beginning you felt the intense need to protect her, and now you understood why. Aiko reminded you of yourself, the you before your ex. The innocent you, you wanted to protect her innocence. But now it was too late, she was gone. Wrapping arms around your stomach, you let your head hang forward as the tears fall freely. “I’m sorry…. I’m sorry….”

“So you guys decided on a mashup of Aiko-chan’s favorite songs. That was a nice thing to do.” Kuroo says as he sits on a bench outside of the cemetery with Chiyo and everyone. Yaku, Kenma, Lev, Kai are sticking around as the others all left to go home; Bokuto and Akaashi also decided to stay behind to wait for you. 

“Yeah, it took a lot of thinking on all our parts. But we figured this was the best course of action. Instead of singing a sad song, we wanted to send her spirit off with a happy memory. So we found some songs she listened to a lot, took some lyrics from each and put them together.” Hiro says as he looks straight ahead. Kuroo nods his head at this, turning his gaze towards the cemetery as he waits for you. 

“Why don’t you all go on ahead. We’ll meet you at the restaurant. I don’t think she’ll want all of us waiting for her here like this.” He says looking at Bokuto and Akaashi then his teammates, “And the four of you as well. Go on ahead with them, I’ll make sure she gets there safe.” He pats Hiro on the back and stands up. The groups look at each other before nodding, then turning to leave though Bokuto stays behind. “Go with them, we’ll be fine.”

“I know you will be. But it’s Sam I’m worried about.” The two boys stand in silence as they look at the gates, “She’s finally letting out her emotions, which is good. We were all starting to get worried that she would keep this bottled up.” He reaches into the bag he was carrying around before handing a smaller bag to Kuroo, “When she finally joins you. Give that to her. It’s from the entire team and Kateri had it handmade at her work. So I’m sure Sam will love it.” With that Bokuto hurries off to catch up with everyone. 

It’s about a half hour later when you finally manage to pull yourself together to get up then leave the gravesite. Tying your hair back into a small ponytail, you shrug off the blazer and fold it over your arm all the while keeping eyes on the ground. Walking out of the cemetery gates, you walk right over to Kuroo. Leaning head on his chest, he wraps his arms around you as more tears start to fall. He gently holds you while swaying side to side and humming a soft tune. As you slowly stop shaking, he leans back to look down at you then speaks in a soft voice, “The others are waiting at the restaurant. Did you still want to join them? We don’t have to if you don’t want to, they’ll understand.” Looking off to the side, your eyes are starting to feel heavy from crying so much that as soon as he asks if you want to join the others you just shake your head. 

“I… I wanna go home… Please.” He nods, then takes out his phone to text Bokuto and Akaashi to let the others know that he’s taking you home. Slipping the phone back into his pocket, he then crouches down and looks at you over his shoulder. 

“Get on. I’ll give you a piggyback ride.” With tired eyes you look at Kuroo for a moment then climb onto his back. Wrapping arms around his shoulders, you bury your face against his neck as his arms hook under your knees to hold you up when he stands. “Ready?” Nodding against his neck, he begins the walk home.


End file.
